Sounds like the force is with J.J. Abrams. The Star Trek into Darkness director was chosen to helm the new Star Wars movie just last week, and already, he's getting nothing but high praise for his upcoming role in the director's chair.

"I've consistently been impressed with J.J. as a filmmaker and storyteller," George Lucas, 68, said in a Lucasfilm statement. "He's an ideal choice to direct the new Star Wars film and the legacy couldn't be in better hands."

The veteran director's admiration isn't just one-sided, however. Abrams, 46, similarly spoke with reverence for Lucas' body of work in a recent statement.

"I may be even more grateful to George Lucas now than I was as a kid," he said. The Alias and Lost creator, who will collaborate with Oscar-winning screenwriter Michael Arndt to bring the next installment of the franchise to life, was still in awe over the recent appointment at the Producers Guild of America Awards on Saturday, Jan. 26.

"It really is an incredible thing," he told E! News. "It's wildly surreal."

Star Wars: Episode VII is expected to hit theaters in 2015 and will be just the first in a series of installments that Disney ordered since purchasing Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion in October.

This article originally appeared on Usmagazine.com: J.J. Abrams Calls His Venture to Direct Star Wars 7 a "Wildly Surreal Ride"