Star Wars: Episode VII will start filming at Pinewood Studios in the UK in May, its producers have said.

Disney and Lucasfilm confirmed Star Wars latest installment would be set about 30 years after the events of Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.

It “will star a trio of new young leads along with some very familiar faces”, the press release added.

Star Wars: Episode VII, directed by JJ Abrams, will be released in cinemas on December 18 2015.

Star Wars: Episode VII will start filming at Pinewood Studios in the UK in May

The news of a return for “some very familiar faces” will fuel rumors that the stars of the original trilogy – Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher – will appear in Episode VII.

Adam Driver is in final negotiations to play the main villain, The Hollywood Reporter reported.

He is best known for his role in hit TV series Girls, but has also recently appeared in films including Lincoln and Inside Llewyn Davis.

Episode VII will be the fifth Star Wars movie to be shot in the UK.

The original Star Wars trilogy was filmed at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire, while The Phantom Menace began shooting on June 26, 1997, at Leavesden Studios in Hertfordshire.

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