Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a book.
Star Wars is an American epic space opera franchise , centered on a film series created by George Lucas . The series has spawned an extensive media franchise including books , television series , computer and video games , and comic books , all of which take place within the same continuity as the films , resulting in significant development of the series 's fictional universe , with the non-canonical works falling under the defunct Star Wars Legends label . Star Wars : The Force Awakens ( also known as Star Wars : Episode VII -- The Force Awakens ) is a 2015 American epic space opera film directed , co-produced , and co-written by J. J. Abrams . It is the first live-action film in the franchise since Star Wars : Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith , released ten years prior in 2005 . Two sequels , The Last Jedi and Episode IX , are scheduled for release in 2017 and 2019 , respectively .