From there, the highly anticipated sequel will jump into hyperspace and head for a premiere in London, followed by other events around the world.

The Los Angeles premiere is sure to be one of the hottest tickets in recent Hollywood history, with executives, agents and journalists jockeying for a coveted invite. In addition, Disney is attempting to keep the film's secrets under wraps, so there likely will be minimal screenings for press and cast and crew in advance of the premiere. While castmembers from the J.J. Abrams-helmed film have appeared at Comic-Con and Star Wars Celebration over the past year, the world premiere also is likely to be the first time that most or all of the cast will be seen together.

It’s not clear who will walk the red carpet, but the movie boasts a large roster of newcomers and veterans. Original Star Wars stars Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels and Peter Mayhew are returning for the new film. John Boyega, Daisy Ridley and Oscar Isaac play the three main protagonists, with Domhnall Gleeson, Adam Driver, Gwendoline Christie, Max von Sydow and Lupita Nyong’o also joining the cast.

The premiere likely will bring out the industry’s fervent fans, meaning getting on the invite list will be tougher than sneaking into one of Jabba the Hutt’s swinging parties. Disney had no comment on the world premiere.

The original Star Wars, now subtitled Episode IV: A New Hope, had its premiere at Hollywood's Chinese Theatre in May 1977.

The last Star Wars movie to have an L.A. premiere was Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, which debuted May 12, 2005, in Westwood at the Mann Village Theatre. It was one of a series of premieres around the world that benefited charities — in that case, Artists for a New South Africa.

But while Sith was the last live-action Star Wars movie to be unveiled in Hollywood's backyard, the most recent Star Wars canon premiere was the animated feature Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which had its debut at the Egyptian Theatre on Aug. 10, 2008.

The Force Awakens will hit theaters on Dec. 17 in the U.K. and Dec. 16 in France prior to its wide debut in the U.S. on Dec. 18.