<P> In January 2012, Lucas announced that he would step away from blockbuster films and instead produce smaller arthouse films . Asked whether the criticism he received following the prequel trilogy and the alterations to the re-releases of the original trilogy had influenced his decision to retire, Lucas said: "Why would I make any more when everybody yells at you all the time and says what a terrible person you are?" Despite insisting that a sequel trilogy would never happen, Lucas began working on story treatments for three new Star Wars films in 2011 . In October 2012, The Walt Disney Company agreed to buy Lucasfilm and announced that Star Wars Episode VII would be released in 2015 . Later, it was revealed that the three new upcoming films (Episodes VII--IX) would be based on story treatments that had been written by George Lucas prior to the sale of Lucasfilm . The co-chairman of Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy, became president of the company, reporting to Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn . In addition, Kennedy will serve as executive producer on new Star Wars feature films, with franchise creator and Lucasfilm founder Lucas serving as creative consultant . </P> <P> The sequel trilogy began with Episode VII: The Force Awakens, released on December 18, 2015 . It was followed by Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, released on December 15, 2017 . </P> <P> About 30 years after the destruction of the Death Star II, Luke Skywalker has vanished following the demise of the new Jedi Order he was attempting to build . The remnants of the Empire have become the First Order, and seek to destroy Luke and the New Republic, while the Resistance opposes, led by princess - turned - general Leia Organa and backed by the Republic . On Jakku, Resistance pilot Poe Dameron obtains a map to Luke's location . Stormtroopers under the command of Kylo Ren, the son of Leia and Han Solo, capture Poe . Poe's droid BB - 8 escapes with the map, and encounters a scavenger Rey . Kylo tortures Poe and learns of BB - 8 . Stormtrooper FN - 2187 defects from the First Order, and frees Poe who dubs him "Finn", while both escape in a TIE fighter that crashes on Jakku, seemingly killing Poe . Finn finds Rey and BB - 8, but the First Order does too; both escape Jakku in a stolen Millennium Falcon . The Falcon is recaptured by Han and Chewbacca, smugglers again since abandoning the Resistance . They agree to help deliver the map inside BB - 8 to the Resistance . </P> <P> The screenplay for Episode VII was originally set to be written by Michael Arndt, but in October 2013 it was announced that writing duties would be taken over by Lawrence Kasdan and J.J. Abrams . On January 25, 2013, The Walt Disney Studios and Lucasfilm officially announced J.J. Abrams as Star Wars Episode VII's director and producer, along with Bryan Burk and Bad Robot Productions . </P>

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