Star Wars Episode 7 Officially Targeted For Summer 2015

Somewhat lost in Disney CEO Bob Iger's announcement about Star Wars solo films is that he also dropped some new information about Star Wars Episode 7. When Star Wars Episode 7 was first announced, all that Iger said was that the plan was to release it in 2015. There was no specific date or even season given. During an earnings conference call today, Disney CEO Bob Iger said, "Now that Lucasfilm is officially part of the Walt Disney company, we're moving forward with the extraordinary Star Wars franchise across our portfolio of businesses. We're excited about the tremendous potential ahead, starting with Star Wars Episode 7, which we expect will be in theaters in the summer of 2015." While much of the entertainment press has been reporting that J.J. Abrams is not committed to the 2015 release date, the fact that the Disney CEO Bob Iger went on record in an earnings conference call saying not only 2015 but summer of 2015 is a pretty concrete statement. Considering that Avengers 2 is already slated to be released on May 1, 2015, it would be a surprise if Disney went with the traditional May release date for Star Wars Episode 7. Releasing Star Wars Episode 7 too close to Avengers 2 could cut into the Avengers 2 theater count. But the other problem for Disney is that Pirates of the Caribbean 5 has been set for a July 10, 2015 release date. To avoid cutting into their other two blockbusters, could Star Wars Episode 7 be looking at a June or August release date?