Let there be lens flares! Earlier today it was announced at an event called "ASC Breakfast with Dan Mindel" that Mindel will be joining J.J. Abrams on STAR WARS: EPISODE VII. Dan Mindel previously collaborated with Abrams on MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE III as the director of photography and was the cinematographer for the last two STAR TREK films. Mindel has also worked on other films such as JOHN CARTER, ENEMY OF THE STATE and G.I. JANE.
It was also revealed at the event that STAR WARS: EPISODE VII will be shot on 35 mm (Kodak film stock 5219) instead of being filmed digitally. None of this has been confirmed quite yet, but many sites are reporting the news and it appears Mindel will be the cinematographer for STAR WARS: EPISODE VII.
Speaking of lens flares, apparently Dan Mindel is the one to blame for showing J.J. Abrams how to create them. At the event Mindel told a story about how Abrams saw a mistake flare while viewing the dailies. J.J. Abrams brought it to Dan Mindel, who showed him how they were made and the director has been deliberately using them since.
The latest news is that STAR WARS: EPISODE VII might be in theaters December 2015.