STORY: Lucasfilm Unveils New Plans for 'Star Wars' Expanded Universe (Video)

Now, a report on BleedingCool.com from this weekend's comic-industry event the Diamond Retailers Summit in Las Vegas says that Marvel plans to announce its plans for the Star Wars license in mid-July, ahead of this year's San Diego Comic-Con, with two ongoing series to be announced. (When contacted by THR, a spokesman for Marvel declined to comment on the report.)

If true and there is a July announcement of some sort, the timing would allow the publisher to "retro-solicit" Star Wars titles for release as early as September 2014, something that could act as a third instance of counter-programming for Marvel in the face of competitor DC Entertainment's already announced month of "Futures End" special issues (the weekly Death of Wolverine and a new Avengers storyline being the other two).

A September date would also mean that Marvel's new series would launch in tandem with the release of Star Wars: A New Dawn, the first book in Del Rey Books' new Star Wars prose novel line. Star Wars Rebels, the new animated series from Lucasfilm, is also due to debut on Disney XD this fall, with Star Wars: Episode VII set for release December 2015. The Force, it seems, will be with all of us pretty soon.