'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' release date, spoilers & news update: movie poster unveiled as tickets go on sale tonight

Star Wars fans rejoice as the new poster for the upcoming film was unveiled at the same time that ticket sale date was announced. Viewers who anticipated the franchise's return to the big screen would be happy to know that tickets are going on sale tonight, Tech Insider reports.

Deadline reports that fans and viewers may purchase tickets with a click of a button, by logging into and going to one of various exhibitor web pages, including Imax, Regal Cinemas, Fandango, and AMC Theatres. Viewers may also want to tune into ESPN's Monday Night Football tonight as a new trailer of Star Wars: The Force Awakens will be shown during the halftime of the National Football League (NFL) game between the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles in Philadelphia. The game will begin at 5:15 p.m. PDT/8:15 p.m. EDT.

Fans can also log onto starwars.com to find out the list of theaters that will hold the Star Wars Marathon Event, in which all seven movies will be shown chronologically, from Phantom Menace to The Force Awakens.

CNET reports that fans can receive freebies from select theaters, such as AMC, whoch will be giving away an AMC-exclusive Star Wars print from artist Dan Mumford for every purchase of a Star Wars movie ticket from Dec. 20 to Jan. 10. Viewers who will head to Alamo Drafthouse will be given two exclusive, limited The Force Awakens officially licensed Mondo-designed pint glass and the collector's issue of their magazine, Birth. Movies. Death. featuring a special on the 40 years of Star Wars.

Entertainment Weekly gave some insight on the details of the movie poster, pointing out that there is a planet-like object in the background, which may be the Starkiller Base, as J.J. Abrams alluded to during the San Diego Comic-Con.

The movie poster also features an alien who stands between BB-8 and R2-D2, who may be Maz Kanata, a space pirate voiced and played by none other than Lupita Nyong'o.

Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy told EW during an interview in August that there will be a lot of character development evident in the new film, saying, "The themes and ideas that we all continue to talk about are the themes and ideas that were the inherent in the original movies. We’re looking, obviously, for aspiration, for characters who are conflicted between good and evil, dark and light."

Kennedy added, "George [Lucas] spoke often about that tension in everybody between what’s good and bad. He always felt that it was easier to be bad than good. I’m not sure all people would agree, but I think that that’s always an interesting conflict to explore. So that’s a big part of the themes inside of Episode VII."

Star Wars: The Force Awakens stars Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels and Peter Mayhew, with a script written by J. J. Abrams, Lawrence Kasdan, and Michael Arndt. The film opens in theaters on Dec. 17 in the U.S. and U.K., and December 18 worldwide.