While speaking this morning at Variety‘s dealmaker breakfast, Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn revealed that, while work isn’t yet complete on the script for the upcoming Star Wars: Episode VII, the studio expects J.J. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan to have it ready in January. A fifth Indiana Jones film, meanwhile, is a bit further off.
“We need a story,” Horn said regarding the action adventure franchise, going on to speculate that a new film is at least two or three years away (per Variety writer Marc Graser’s Twitter feed).
Horn also said that, while no budget has officially been decided on for Episode VII, it’s likely in the ballpark of $200 million. He also reiterated that plans call for a new Star Wars film every year, alternating between “saga” chapters and single character spinoffs.
Star Wars: Episode VII will be directed by Abrams, who will also produce alongside Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and Bryan Burk. Tommy Harper and Jason McGatlin are serving as executive producers. The film will open in 2D and 3D theaters on December 18, 2015.
