The seventh instalment in the successful Star Wars science fiction franchise could return to the darker "space Western" style of the first three movies.
Director J. J. Abrams, who is notoriously secretive about his films, has hinted that Star Wars: Episode VII could restore some of the mystery and grittiness from the original movies that critics claim was lost in "prequel" instalments.
In an interview with the Times Magazine he praised a set of "golden rules" spelt out by Star Wars fans on the internet as anticipation for the films grow.
These include setting the films on a Western style frontier of the galaxy rather than in shiny big cities like the three most recent films, giving the films a gritty and dirtier aesthetic and recreating some of the danger and mystery of the originals.
Abrams said: "I would say that (the website conveys) a feeling that we share very much ...
"I loved how Star Wars had that sense of a world far beyond the borders of what you can see and have been told – it's one of the things it did so brilliantly.
"If you watch the first movie, you don't actually know exactly what the Empire is trying to do. They're going to rule by fear – but you don't know what their end game is.
"The beauty of that movie was that it was an unfamiliar world, and yet you wanted to see it expand and to see where it went."
Abrams, who recently directed the latest Star Trek Into Darkness movie, is working with Lawrence Kasdan on the script for the new Star Wars film. Kasdan co-wrote The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
News of the new film has sparked a flood of speculation from fans on the internet about who may star in the movies and what the plot maybe.
While many diehard fans of the original movies have been unimpressed with the prequels, which George Lucas began releasing in 1999, there proved to be hugely successful with younger generations.
Abrams is eager not to criticise the more recent movies and suggests that he may need to tread a careful line not to alienate fans of the originals and the younger fans of the prequels.
He said: "A lot of kids who saw all the prequels when they were young really do identify with those movies as much as my generation identified with the originals."
The Star Wars franchise has generated more than $27 billion, with Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace taking the most out of the all six films at the box office.
The seventh instalment is due for release in 2015, with filming due to begin in 2014 in London.
Abrams refused to be drawn on any speculation about who may be cast in the new film.
Harrison Ford has been rumoured to be making a return, while Benedict Cumberbatch, who Abrams worked with in the latest Star Trek film, has also been linked.
There has also been speculation that British actor Chiwetel Ejiofor may be taking a role after being seen waiting in the lobby of Abram's office.
