'Star Wars 7' News, 'Rebels' Animated TV Series Concept Art [PHOTOS]: Producer Kathleen Kennedy Reveals 2015's 'Episode VII' Updates at 'Celebration'

By Jon Niles, Mstarz reporter | Jul 29, 2013 09:28 AM EDT

The "Star Wars Celebration" was held in Germany over the weekend, and some big announcements came out of this event. First of all, producer Kathleen Kennedy was in attendance with actor Warwick Davis, though no casting news was revealed. The new head of Lucasfilm did however announce that John Williams, the legendary film composer responsible for the original Star Wars trilogy scores, will be returning for the next trilogy including 2015's Episode VII.

Mstars previously reported on Williams' return to the Star Wars universe. Here is an excerpt from that article:

"I look forward to returning to a galaxy far, far away. I actually feel like I never left it," Williams said in a prerecorded video message. "I'm happy to be a continuing part of the Star Wars saga and the joy in the journey of discovery that awaits us all."

Besides the announcement of Williams' return, Kennedy also shared her enthusiasm for modern technology being used in the upcoming films:

"Much like many of you, looking at all the Star Wars movies and getting a feeling in what the early films did in combination with real locations and special effects - that's something we're looking very seriously at. We're going to find some really cool locations for Ep VII. We're going to use ever tool in the toolbox for this movie." ... "It's using artwork that you can touch and feel in combination with CG effects."

"We know that if we don't have great stories and great characters, then effects mean nothing."

Though she did not mention any casting updates, she did say: "We have an opportunity to create some amazing new characters."

Along with this big movie coming out in 2015, a new animated series, "Star Wars Rebels," will also be coming to Disney XD. The story of this series will take place between episodes III and IV in the Star Wars universe. This project was announced around the same time as the new film trilogy, but now we have some updates coming our way.

First of all, the show's logo is the cover photo for this article. That was released over the weekend. Plus, animator Dave Filoni shared some concept art at the "Star Wars Celebration" in Germany.

"We wanted to create a look for this part of Star Wars that precedes A New Hope by just a little bit," Filoni said. "We have created a set of digital brushes that replicate McQuarrie's style. [...] We're going for something that's much more an illustrative look."

CLICK HERE to see some concept art for "Star Wars Rebels."

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