Hollywood Popular Artists

May 1st 2013, 16:17

Yesterday, during a press conference for "Star Trek Into Darkness," J.J. Abrams did something unusual. He told us something about "Star Wars: Episode VII."

Specifically, the director said that John Williams, the composer who wrote the score for every "Star Wars" movie to date, was likely to return for the seventh installment, scheduled to hit theaters in 2015. A self-proclaimed champion of the mystery box approach, Abrams has never been one to openly share information, especially about "Star Wars," which he claims is too early in development to discuss.

But there he was at a "Star Trek Into Darkness" press conference, revealing a detail about "Star Wars: Episode VII." It would all seem a little too strange if it hadn't been for what Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said last week.

At an event for the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneer Foundation (via ScreenSlam), Kennedy suggested that the signature Abrams stranglehold on set details might not apply once "Star Wars: Episode VII" goes into production.

"If we're shooting anything outside, it's almost impossible to not have things end up on the Internet," Kennedy said. "So my feeling is, you need to embrace that, especially with the fans around something like 'Star Wars.' You need to recognize they're important to the process and acknowledge there are things you're going to want to make sure they get to know."

Are we seeing the first fruits of Kennedy's effort to get J.J. to open up? We will have to see how the team handles details in the coming months as casting becomes the number one priority.

Do you think this is the start of a more transparent J.J. Abrams? Let us know in the comments below and on Twitter!

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