Star Wars: The Force Awakens: Exclusive photos in EW

Plus Jennifer Lawrence, Angelina Jolie, Idris Elba and more in our Fall Movie Preview

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Published on August 12, 2015 12:00PM EDT

J.J. Abrams knows the power of a question mark. It was a question, it turns out, that lured him to direct Star Wars: The Force Awakens in the first place, and he has proven to be an expert at making fans want to know more.

In this week’s issue of Entertainment Weekly, our annual Fall Movie Preview, we present an exclusive Q&A with the filmmaker that we hope answers a few mysteries while raising some others. And this far out, we’re careful not to spoil any major plot points from the movie, which hits theaters Dec. 18 (in case you forgot.)

So here’s what to expect, in question form:

Before signing on to direct, what was the question Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy asked Abrams about the galaxy that made him decide he had to know the answer, even if it meant devising it himself?
Who is Adam Driver’s villainous wielder of the crossguard-lightsaber? What is his relationship with Darth Vader … and is Kylo Ren his original name?
What was it like on Harrison Ford’s first day back on the clock as Han Solo, when he finally set foot back on the Millennium Falcon after three decades?
From whom (or what) does Daisy Ridley’s character Rey rescue the ball-droid BB-8 amid the desolate sands of Jakku?
Which cult-horror movie inspired one of the main characters, and what cuddly child’s toy led to the name of another?
What are the odds Abrams may come back for Episode IX?

The Fall Movie preview also includes exclusive interviews with Jennifer Lawrence, Leonardo Di Caprio, Angelina Jolie, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts, Tom Hardy, Cate Blanchett, Idris Elba, plus inside intel on the season’s 75 biggest movies. Among them: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2; the new James Bond film, Spectre; Johnny Depp’s true-life Boston crime saga Black Mass; and Dylan O’Brien in The Maze Runner sequel, The Scorch Trials.

To continue reading the cover story on EW’s Fall Movie Preview, and to see more exclusive photos, pick up the new issue of Entertainment Weekly, on newsstands Friday, or buy it here.