With the Star Wars 7 release date set for December 18, there have been countless official confirmations and rumors. Directed by J.J. Abrams, the film is also known by its official title Star Wars: The Force Awakens. It will be the first in an upcoming sequel trilogy to the original Star Wars film franchise.

In this article we will explore the latest cast and plot updates that are circulating on the web.

Composer John Williams is Back for the New Trilogies

Legendary composer John Williams will be back for the sequel trilogy. Fans will recall his iconic music scores from the first six Star War films. It will be interesting to see how Williams will approach the new storyline for Leia, Han, Luke, and the next generation of Star Wars characters.

Longtime Star Wars aficionados will be pleased that there will be pieces paying homage to the original trilogies.

"There are some scenes where we do make reference to earlier thematic pieces. We haven't done it yet, but we're planning to do it," Williams said to Vanity Fair. "It's something that I think will seem very natural and right in the moments for which we've chosen to do these kinds of quotes. "

The 83-year-old added that references will be done sparingly - implying that Star Wars VII will add a number of never-before-heard musical scores.

Was Han Solo and Leia's in the Teaser?

A new female character named Rey was seen in both The Force Awakens teaser and trailer. Not much is known about the protagonist, apart from her being a scavenger surviving in the desert planet of Tatooine. The character is played by actress Daisy Ridley.

There has been a recent rumor suggesting that Rey is actually the child of Han Solo and Leia Solo. Naturally, gossip in all form needs to be taken with a grain of salt. However recent developments may add a bit of weight to fan speculation.

Fansided recently reported on an interview between a Japanese news channel and Daisy Ridley. The Force Awakens producer Kathleen Kennedy was also present, and did more of the talking. For the convenience of reader, Fansided has highlighted the following information:

• Kennedy affirms that family is important to the Star Wars universe, and Daisy embodies that mentality.

• Daisy is sworn to secrecy, but she mentions that she is aware of the Solo family rumors.

Even though this interview does not prove anything, there are still rumors that Rey may have inherited the same Force-sensitive qualities as Princess Leia. It has also been theorized that Rey is behind the controls of the Millennium Falcon, which is seen dodging TIE fighters in the earlier teaser.

Whether these rumors are true will be determined when Star Wars: The Force Awakens premiers this coming December 2015.