One of the most popular movie franchises of all time is getting a new installment. The “Star Wars” franchise will be opening its seventh movie, “The Force Awakens” starting on December 18.

Much hype has been surrounding the release of this movie ever since it was announced in August of 2013, when it was revealed that J.J. Abrams would be the film’s director. Abrams is well regarded for his work as the director for the television series “Lost,” and the 2009 “Star Trek” movie, and its later sequel: “Star Trek: Into Darkness.”

For this film, Abrams has brought back many of the actors, producers and designers from the original “Star Wars” trilogy. Among the actors returning to the film, which takes place some 30 years after the end of “Return of the Jedi,” are Harrison Ford (who plays Han Solo), Mark Hamill (who plays Luke Skywalker) and Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca). At the same time Abrams brings back a cast of new characters including the film’s new antagonist Kylo Ren (played by Adam Driver), along with protagonists Finn Galfridian (John Boyega) and Rey (Daisy Ridley).

This will be the first “Star Wars” movie released since “Revenge of the Sith,” the third movie in the series, and the final film of the prequels trilogy was released in 2005. Fans of the franchise are excited to see what will happen in “The Force Awakens” as it will resume after the events of “Return of The Jedi – released in 1983. The wait will soon be over to see the series progress in the story for the first time in a whopping 32 years, not including the prequel trilogy. The premiere showing of the movie took place on December 14, and has gotten good reviews, some saying that “The Force Awakens” is better than all of the prequels. That comment alone will surely have Trekkies in a frenzy.