Claim: Star Wars: The Force Awakens is set 30 years after the destruction of the Empire.

Star Wars : The Force Awakens -LRB- also known as Star Wars : Episode VII -- The Force Awakens -RRB- is a 2015 American epic space opera film directed , co-produced , and co-written by J. J. Abrams . The direct sequel to 1983 's Return of the Jedi , The Force Awakens is the first installment of the Star Wars sequel trilogy , and stars Harrison Ford , Mark Hamill , Carrie Fisher , Adam Driver , Daisy Ridley , John Boyega , Oscar Isaac , Lupita Nyong ` o , Andy Serkis , Domhnall Gleeson , Anthony Daniels , Peter Mayhew , and Max von Sydow . Produced by Lucasfilm Ltd. and Abrams ' production company Bad Robot Productions and distributed worldwide by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures , The Force Awakens marks a break in creative control from the original series as the first Star Wars film not produced by franchise creator George Lucas . Set 30 years after Return of the Jedi , it follows Rey , Finn and Poe Dameron 's search for Luke Skywalker and their fight alongside the Resistance , led by veterans of the Rebel Alliance , against Kylo Ren and the First Order , a successor organization to the Galactic Empire .   The Force Awakens was announced after The Walt Disney Company 's acquisition of Lucasfilm in October 2012 . It was produced by Abrams , his longtime collaborator Bryan Burk , and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy . Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan , co-writer of the original trilogy films The Empire Strikes Back -LRB- 1980 -RRB- and Return of the Jedi -LRB- 1983 -RRB- , rewrote an initial script by Michael Arndt . John Williams , composer for the previous six films , returned to compose the film 's score . Lucas served as creative consultant during the film 's early production . Filming began in April 2014 in Abu Dhabi and Iceland , with principal photography also taking place in Ireland and Pinewood Studios in England , and concluded in November 2014 . It is the first live-action film in the franchise since Star Wars : Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith , released ten years prior in 2005 .   Star Wars : The Force Awakens was widely anticipated , and Disney backed the film with extensive marketing campaigns . It premiered in Los Angeles on December 14 , 2015 , four days before its wide release . The film received positive reviews , with its ensemble cast , direction , musical score , visual effects , and action sequences receiving particular praise , though it received some criticism for being derivative of the original trilogy . The film broke various box office records and became , unadjusted for inflation , the highest-grossing installment in the franchise , the highest-grossing film in North America , and the third-highest-grossing film of all time , with a worldwide gross of over $ 2 billion and a net profit of over $ 780 million . It received five Academy Award nominations and four British Academy Film Award nominations , where it won Best Special Visual Effects . Two sequels , The Last Jedi and Episode IX , are scheduled for release in 2017 and 2019 , respectively .