'Star Wars: Episode VII' movie to open Christmas 2015

Brian Truitt | USA TODAY

Hey kids, now you know what action figures to ask Santa for Christmas in two years.

Lucasfilm announced Thursday that the next Star Wars film, Star Wars: Episode VII, will open in theaters Dec. 18, 2015. The movie, the first to be released following Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm, will feature J.J. Abrams in the director's chair.

Episode VII "will not only anchor the popular holiday film-going season but also ensure our extraordinary filmmaking team has the time needed to deliver a sensational picture," said Disney chairman Alan Horn in a statement.

The new film is being written by Abrams as well as The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi scribe Lawrence Kasdan. Abrams, Bryan Burk and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy are producers on the project, and Oscar-winning composer John Williams is returning to score his seventh Star Wars feature.

Filming on Episode VII is scheduled to begin in the spring at Pinewood Studios outside London.