A little bit of Star Wars news has begun to trickle out of Southern California already. The Star Wars panel is expected to hit on Saturday, though, so if you are interested in J.J. Abrams’ anticipated Episode VII, you are going to want to keep it parked here that afternoon for the latest and greatest new items. 

 

What questions do I want answered from the Star Wars portion of D23? Here are the three items I really hope Abrams, producer Kathleen Kennedy or other Disney executives address over the weekend: 

 

 

1. When is the movie coming out? 

 

We know that Abrams has been ordered to deliver Episode VII in Summer 2015, but we don’t have a date. Let’s hope we leave D23 with a firm release date. (And if I had to put my money down, I’d wager we’ll see Episode VII in theaters over the Memorial Day weekend that year.)

 

2. Who will be in it? 

 

There have been persistent rumors that the original Star Wars trio of Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill will play a part in Abrams’ new Star Wars. Could that be confirmed at D23? Will the veteran Star Wars actors take to the stage in Anaheim to create a Comic-Con-worthy, headline-grabbing moment? If it happens, you are bound to hear about it… immediately! 

 

3. What is the movie going to be about? 

 

While I doubt that we’ll get a full plot synopsis, a subtitle for Episode VII could go a long way toward telling us which direction Abrams wants to head with the next stage of Star Wars movies. Will he adapt a classic storyline from the Star Wars spin-off novels? Is he coming up with a totally original plot with screenwriter Michael Arndt? Given the fact that we know a Star Wars movie is coming, we know very little about the movie, specifically. Let’s hope that changes as D23 rolls on!