Well, folks, it's on. In a galaxy not too far away, J.J. Abrams' **Star Wars: Episode VII **shoot has been officially started and was shepherded through its first full week with a sinew-stiffening letter from the director/co-writer to his cast and crew. Click below for a closer look. In the months to come Abrams and his cameras will be rolling in Pinewood Studios and LA, but Abu Dhabi is home - and a likely stand-in for Tatooine - for the next few weeks. With Abrams' vow of relative secrecy in mind, crew leaks are the likeliest source of intel and those so far suggest some kind of Mos Eisley-like settlement has been constructed on a salt lake in the desert. {Star War clapper board} Set decades after Return Of The Jedi, Star Wars: Episode VII reunites original trilogy stalwarts Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Mayhew, Anthony Daniels and Kenny Baker and adds new recruits John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, Andy Serkis and Max von Sydow. **
Star Wars: Episode VII** out on December 18, 2015.