"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" is the title of the seventh "Star Wars" movie, a mid-day tweet announced Thursday.
Later Thursday, Nicole Chapman, whose Twitter account lists her as stunt department coordinator and assistant director, shared her enthusiasm for the movie, which will be released in December 2015.
The news that the movie had an official name was enough to set the Internet world abuzz, some with excitement, many with jokes. And those jokes often had to do with the name, and there was even a new hashtag, #rejectedstarwarstitles.
The rejected titles came fast and furious: Red Han Solo Cup, Looking for Love in Alderan Places, Gone with the Windu, and One Flew Over the Ewok’s Nest.
The new title gave some the encouragement to try and determine the movie’s plot.
Gawker wondered and encouraged wild speculation: “Was the Force dormant in the period between Return of the Jedi and Ep. 7? The title could refer to a certain huge, spoilery rumor about a major character from the original films, or it could just be Disney's way of reminding us there hasn't been a real Star Wars movie since the early '80s.”
Commenters jumped right in. “Maybe it refers to the fact that, with the deaths of Obi-Wan, Yoda, the Emperor, and Darth Vader, the original trilogy ends with Luke Skywalker as the only trained Force user in the universe,” one person said. “The Force seeks balance.”
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