Star Wars Episode VII: Coming to the U.K. in 2014

The next installment of the saga set in a galaxy far, far away will return to the seat of an Empire much closer to home. Star Wars Episode VII will be at least partly filmed in the United Kingdom, it was revealed Friday.

Large parts of the original trilogy (shot from 1976 to 1982) was shot on soundstages near London, specifically Shepperton and Elstree. The prequel trilogy (1998 to 2005) made much less use of the venerable British studios; Lucasfilm preferred to do most of its greenscreen shooting in Australia, where costs were lower.

But the U.K.'s leading finance minister, Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne, waged a campaign to lure Disney (Lucasfilm's new owner) back to the British Isles with some major tax incentives, according to the Daily Mail. Osborne celebrated the news in a tweet:

Just confirmed: the next Star Wars film will be made in UK. Great news for our creative industries. May the force be with us.....

— George Osborne (@George_Osborne) May 10, 2013

No specifics have been announced in terms of which studio we'll see J.J. Abrams direct the next movie in. And of course, basing the production in Britain does not preclude location shooting in countries around the world.

But it is a major feather in the cap of the British film industry, which will no doubt see some of its major talent hired for Episode VII. George Lucas himself praised the U.K. movie business at a Royal reception at Windsor Castle back in April.

"I've been here since '75," Lucas told the assembled guests, including Queen Elizabeth II. "So for me this is my second home."

He paid his hosts a greater tribute with a curious use of the word "we" a few moments later: "The White House, the government there [in the U.S.] doesn't support the film industry the way we do in Britain," he said.

Luckily, Lucas didn't mention all the problems he had with British food — and stringent film union work hours — back in 1976.

1. An Expanded Universe

   You start to get a sense of the sheer size of Sansweet's collection when you walk in.

   

2. A Really, Really Long Time Ago

   The oldest item at Rancho Obi-Wan? A 10,000-year old mastadon bone, with stormtroopers carved on it somewhat more recently.

   

3. Obi-Welcome

   When you enter the ranch, you get an audio greeting from James Arnold Taylor, who voiced Obi-Wan in the animated Clone Wars series.

   

4. I'd Sooner Wear a Wookiee

   Nothing says Star Wars fan like this cap with furry ears.

   

5. Well Fett

   A full-sized costume of the galaxy's most famous bounty hunter guards one of the Han Solo carbonite prototypes. Only Harrison Ford's head was used to model it.

   

6. Creator in Carbonite

   Lucas shows he has a sense of humor -- he also hung a Jar Jar Binks in carbonite at Skywalker Ranch.

   

7. Fear the Carbonite

   Giants pitcher Brian Wilson gets the Carbonite treatment.

   

8. Congrats ET

   Lucasfilm commissioned this artwork to celebrate the moment Steven Spielberg's ET (1982) flew past Star Wars in the all-time box office rankings.

   

9. Coca-Chewbacca

   A quirky piece of fan-made bottle art.

   

10. Return of the ... Jedy?

    This bootleg jacket exemplifies the importance of good copy-editing.

    

11. Cardboard Bestseller

    The infamous "early bird certificate," released for Christmas 1977, guaranteed fans would get the first Star Wars figures in 1978.

    

12. Your Carbonized Face Here

    One of Sansweet's favorite Halloween costumes. Pairs well with a vintage Boba Fett.

    

13. Office Space

    What Sansweet sees from his desk. Note the signed poster on the wall where George Lucas calls him "the ultimate fan."

    

14. Meta Model

    One fan gave Sansweet a model of Rancho Obi-Wan itself, complete with Millennium Falcon landing on the roof.

    

15. The Empire Strikes Bike

    This bicycle, complete with lightsaber-like rims, was used on the Lucasfilm campus.

    

16. Give That Droid a Hand

    On the right: Threepio's mitt as worn by Anthony Daniels.

    

17. Fight Light

    Sansweet demonstrates one of the lightsaber models used in the movies.

    

18. This Fully Armed and Operational Library

    Sansweet has multiple copies of every Star Wars book ever printed, in multiple languages.

    

19. Candy Creature

    On the right: a Bantha pinata, which Sansweet purchased from a fan for $100.

    

20. Clone Trooper

    One of the earliest Japanese knock-off figures from 1978 describes its contents as a "stoom trooper." Which wouldn't matter so much, except all the non-stormtrooper figures bore the same word.

    

21. Clip Camera

    Back in the late 70s, you could get clips of your favorite Star Wars scenes on hand-crank cameras. This one has been viewed so many times, you can't see if Greedo or Han shot first.

    

22. Vader's Gun

    Kenner made these out-of-character generic utility belts with Darth Vader's face on the box -- classic toy marketing circa 1977 -- until Lucasfilm clamped down.

    

23. Glue an Ewok

    An odd commercial pairing from UHC.

    

24. Bib Brush

    Bib Fortuna -- Jabba's henchman, known for his awful teeth -- is paired with a tube of Colgate in this Spanish promotion.

    

25. 'Starswar' Figures

    Nice try, eastern European bootleggers. Turns out erasing one letter in each character's name doesn't protect you from a lawsuit.

    

26. Death to Blunt Pencils

    From the UK, a Death Star pencil sharpener.

    

27. I'd Sooner Call a Wookiee

    Now you can, if you can find the phone buried in this furry cellphone pouch.

    

28. R2-Coins Too

    One of the tiniest items in the collection -- an R2-D2 coin carrier.

    

29. Darth: Big in Japan

    The Dark Lord of the Sith hooks a big fish in this Tokyo print.

    

30. Vader-San

    Darth is turning Japanese. I really thinks so.

    

31. Playtime

    Sansweet gets most animated when handling Star Wars puppets.

    

32. Don't Eat the Food

    Really. That chocolate's probably not good any more.

    

33. Wampa Wampa

    Hey, did you hear the one about the Empire Strikes Back monster from Hoth? It's okay, he's armless.

    

34. The Dewback and the Bantha

    The Episode IV beasts of burden (one carried Stormtroopers, the other Sandpeople) kick back and chat.

    

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36. Darth Boxer

    Something is very, very wrong with this puppet.

    

37. Vader in White

    Something is even more wrong with this one.

    

38. Your Little Green Friend

    Yoda uses one of Rancho Obi-Wan's many unpacked boxes as cover, while the saga begins.

    

39. Dia-Noga Alley

    Remember the tentacle creature in the trash compactor in the Death Star? How did he get there? Hitched a ride in this hazardous waste container, Sansweet says.

    

40. Artoo Drink Too

    This Japanese astromech delivers any 12-oz beverage you care to load him with.

    

41. Don't Have a Cow, Man ...

    ... but we hear the most important thing you can do to get a job at Lucasfilm is to memorize Simpsons quotes.

    

42. Simpsons, Ducks and Vader, Oh My!

    The shelves try to keep themselves in order, but there are all sorts of interesting cantina-like meetings.

    

43. Dead Heroes

    The Day of the Dead version of Han and Leia are a pleasure to behold.

    

44. Obama Jedi

    The president looks spiffy in those robes. Only trouble is, it's an unofficial toy made in China.

    

45. Nuts and Bombs

    Those droid-like items in the back? They're in the shape of the bombs that dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Yep.

    

46. Stormtrooper Crawl Baby

    There are no words for some of the Star Wars items made over the years.

    

47. Heads Up

    This would be the perfect location for a costume party.

    

48. You Must Remember This

    No? It's the hospital ship from the end of Empire Strikes Back. You probably don't remember it because it was never commercially made.

    

49. Jedi Cowboy

    One of the odder -- and more brazen -- bootlegs.

    

50. Padme Does Vegas

    That's what Sansweet calls the Episode One-themed dolls to the left.

    

51. Collect All Three

    In his storied career, Sansweet has been gifted many action figures in his likeness.

    

52. Look Away, You Must

    And this is the flipside of that benefit. Sansweet says this Yoda version of him, a Christmas gift, gave him nightmares.

    

53. The Force of Others

    One of the better Sansweets

    

54. Now You See Him ...

    When a fan made this for him, Sansweet responded ...

    

55. Now You See Lucas

    "Now can you do that to my bank account?"

    

56. Warhol in Space

    Campbells never made this flavor.

    

57. Potted Ewok

    There are probably one or two vegetarians who wouldn't mind giving that a try.

    

58. Eggs and Matryoshka

    Star Wars nesting dolls and a Boba Fett egg. Okay, *now* I've seen it all.

    

59. The Beer Side of the Force

    We would describe both of these brews as dark and full of Sith.

    

60. On the Light Side

    This thing? Cabinet full of lightsabers. Doesn't everyone have one of those?

    

61. Cold, Threepio?

    Something is definitely wrong with that protocol droid's nipples.

    

62. Pretty as a Princess

    Yves Saint Laurent marketing for Episode I, and a necklace just like Leia wore for the medal ceremony at the end of Episode IV.

    

63. Rarest of the Rare

    Those twin Boba Fetts in the middle? They have their rocket launchers primed. That makes them some of the most sought-after Star Wars figures in the world.

    

64. Sweet Stuff

    Lick-us film.

    

65. Lucas Puppet

    George Lucas apparently liked the idea of himself as a paper bag puppet.

    

66. Sweet AT-AT

    Sansweet describes this item as the favorite in his collection, because it was made by a regular father for his Star Wars-mad son -- with action figure slots drilled in.

    

67. Original Marquee

    Now guarded by a lifesize LEGO Vader, this lettering was first seen at an opening-day New York theater on May 25, 1977.

    

68. 

69. 

70. A Little Piece of the Cantina

    That's what's on the wall behind the band -- part of the 1977 set.

    

71. Featured Creature

    We just love this oven mitt in the shape of the asteroid monster from Empire Strikes Back.

    

72. Maul-den Art

    Sansweet displays one of his more unusual canvases.

    

73. Jabba the Hat

    You just knew we had to go for that pun.

    

74. Hail the Fightin' 501st!

    That's the real-life Stormtrooper legion.

    

75. Spot the Mistake

    Not the title, which was subsequently changed -- the colors of the lightsabers.

    

76. Model Aliens

    RIP, Greedo. Don't really remember you from the bounty hunter scene, Bossk.

    

77. Art Storm

    Decorated helmets are everywhere.

    

78. Sansweet's Office Library

    Just a tiny sliver of his book collection

    

79. Holographic Chess

    Word to the wise, Artoo: Let the Wookiee win.

    

80. Hungarian Vader

    This has to be one of the oddest Star Wars movie posters in the world.

    

81. Greedo is Good?

    Sansweet likes this canvas, which mixes his two careers.

    

82. 

83. 

84. Sergent Sansweet's Lonely Heart's Club Band

    This diorama was assembled for the first Celebration to be held in Europe.

    

85. 

86. 

87. 

88. 

89. 

90. 

91. The Force is Strong With Disney

    And has been even before Disney bought Lucasfilm -- as shown by these Mickeys and Donalds. (And yes, there's a Darth Goofy).

    

92. Star Wars in the bathroom

    There is no escape from Star Wars in every part of Rancho Obi-Wan.

    

93. Boba Flush

    Dying to know what's written underneath this wall-mounted toilet lid? @Futureboy might tell you.

    

94. 

95. Angry Birds Star Wars

    The latest twist on the franchise, and of course the merchandising has landed at Rancho Obi-Wan.

    

96. 

97. Casa Kenobi

    Naturally, that's the private residence.

    

98. And That's It

    You made it to slide 98! Congratulations! The Force is clearly strong with this one.

    

Photo by Steve Parsons - WPA Pool/Getty Images