Star Wars: Episode VII isn’t due out until 2015, but it’s never too early to predict how much money it will make. It may seem pointless trying to work out the film’s gross now, but it’s actually quite important to Disney’s share price. With Lone Ranger possibly losing as much as $150 million for the studio, investors want to know whether the studio has a solid line-up for the future.

Credit Suisse analyst Michael Senno has come up with some numbers, based on the last Star Wars film (which grossed $850 million) and Disney’s success with Marvel, and estimates that Episode VII will make $733 million in profit, with $1.2 billion in global ticket sales and more money coming from merchandising.

Senno also says he thinks The Lone Ranger will only lose $100 million, which it still a big failure, but not as bad as others have been saying.

People’s faith in Disney’s future plans should give the company solace, as a single massive failure can often cause a slump in the share price, but the company has actually managed to gain in value over the past few days, despite Lone Ranger. The thought amongst investors seems to be that with Disney concentrating on relatively safe bets such as Star Wars, Marvel movies and animated efforts, there will be fewer failures such as Lone Ranger and John Carter, and that even if there are a few, overall the company can weather those upsets.

It is all a guess about Episode VII at the moment though, and we’ll have to wait until 2015 to see whether $1.2 billion is even close to the final gross.

Disney has revealed just what a massive gamble it’s placing on audiences still be excited about Star Wars, as after paying $4 billion for Lucasfilm, it’s now planning on spending hundreds of millions more to release a new movie from the franchise every summer from 2015, continuing for the foreseeable future. Disney boss Alan Horn announced the news at CinemaCon in Las Vegas.

Star Wars: Episode VII will be the first of those movies, and will launch a new trilogy that will be a continuation of the main story told in Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi. The current plan is to bring characters such as Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, and Princess Leia back, with JJ Abrams directing. The main trilogy will alternate every summer with standalone films looking at other parts of the Star Ward universe, the first of which will be released in 2016.

An young Han Solo movie and a film about Boba Fett are rumoured to be in the works, although there’s been no official announcement about there. It is also suspected that Yoda and Jabba the Hutt may get their own movies.

Yesterday we reported that JJ Abrams was close to signing a deal to direct the next instalment in the Star Wars saga, which Disney hopes to bring to cinemas in 2015. Now that’s been confirmed, with Disney and Lucasfilm issuing a press release making it official.

Incidentally, it’s also being suggested that Abrams will still be involved with Star Trek, acting as a producer of a third film with the chair left open (at the moment at least) for him to direct.

Here’s the press release: J.J. Abrams will direct Star Wars: Episode VII, the first of a new series of Star Wars films to come from Lucasfilm under the leadership of Kathleen Kennedy. Abrams will be directing and Academy Award-winning writer Michael Arndt will write the screenplay.

“It’s very exciting to have J.J. aboard leading the charge as we set off to make a new Star Wars movie,” said Kennedy. “J.J. is the perfect director to helm this. Beyond having such great instincts as a filmmaker, he has an intuitive understanding of this franchise. He understands the essence of the Star Wars experience, and will bring that talent to create an unforgettable motion picture.”

George Lucas went on to say “I’ve consistently been impressed with J.J. as a filmmaker and storyteller. He’s an ideal choice to direct the new Star Wars film and the legacy couldn’t be in better hands.”

“To be a part of the next chapter of the Star Wars saga, to collaborate with Kathy Kennedy and this remarkable group of people, is an absolute honor,” J.J. Abrams said. “I may be even more grateful to George Lucas now than I was as a kid.”

J.J., his longtime producing partner Bryan Burk, and Bad Robot are on board to produce along with Kathleen Kennedy under the Disney | Lucasfilm banner.

Also consulting on the project are Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg. Kasdan has a long history with Lucasfilm, as screenwriter on The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Return of the Jedi. Kinberg was writer on Sherlock Holmes and Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

Abrams and his production company Bad Robot have a proven track record of blockbuster movies that feature complex action, heartfelt drama, iconic heroes and fantastic production values with such credits as Star Trek, Super 8, Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol, and this year’s Star Trek Into Darkness. Abrams has worked with Lucasfilm’s preeminent postproduction facilities, Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound, on all of the feature films he has directed, beginning with Mission: Impossible III. He also created or co-created such acclaimed television series as Felicity, Alias, Lost and Fringe.
And here are some quotes from Star Wars veterans on working with Abrams, taken from the official site:

Visual Effects Supervisor Dennis Muren, ASC, whose credits include the original Star Wars trilogy as well as landmark films such as E.T. and Jurassic Park, also worked with Abrams on Super 8. “He puts everything he has into his work,” said Muren. “He totally immerses himself. He’s got such a visual eye, which is so important to the Star Wars films. It seems that a lot of the same things that were in George when he made the first Star Wars films are also in J.J. I think he’s going to fit into the other movies perfectly, with the energy that J.J. has. We’re kick-starting Star Wars again with dynamite. It will knock people out, including the people who get to work on it. I think it’s a great choice.”

Ben Burtt, responsible for such iconic Star Wars sounds as Darth Vader’s breathing, R2-D2′s beeps and the classic lightsaber, has worked with Abrams as sound designer and sound editor on Star Trek and Super 8. “J.J represents the next generation of filmmakers from those that were making Star Wars when I started,” said Ben Burtt. “When he was a teen, he was a fan of Star Wars, and a great deal of his love for movies came out of his reaction of that first Star Wars film. You feel that he’s already invested so many years in it, and he’s going to propel it forward in a new way. In other words, you’re having a fan who has grown up and developed tremendous directorial skills finding himself at the steering wheel to take the franchise into the next stage. I feel like I’m there watching history turn over from one era to another.”

Matthew Wood, who served as supervising sound editor on Super 8, similarly grew up as a Star Wars fan before working on the films through the prequels. “Working with him, it was so obvious to me that J.J. and I have the same nostalgic love of that era. Now we have someone from that generation who is going to be at the helm of the Star Wars franchise that I’ve known and worked on, so it’s a great circle. Just seeing what he did with Super 8 and capturing those moments, and knowing what was so special about that era, it’s going to speak to a new generation of audience as well.”