New 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Trailer Debuts

An explosive new trailer debuted on Monday for "Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens," as tickets also went on sale in the U.S. for the film's opening weekend.

The trailer gives fans the clearest views yet of the new characters Rey (Daisy Ridley), a scavenger on the desert planet Jakku, and Finn (John Boyega), a TIE fighter pilot who deserts, as well as erstwhile scoundrel Han Solo (Harrison Ford).

The film is set 30 years after the events of "Return of the Jedi," and also stars Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson and Gwendoline Christie.

Over views of the Millennium Falcon dodging TIE fighters amid the wreckage of a long-ago space battle, Rey is heard saying, "There are stories about what happened."

"It's true," replies Solo. "All of it."

The trailer was released online after debuting during ESPN's "Monday Night Football."

Pre-sales of tickets were supposed to begin after the trailer aired, but several sites jumped the gun, with tickets being snapped up beginning around 7 p.m. ET. Theatres and movie ticket sites were experiencing loading issues due to demand.

The film is scheduled to open in the U.S. on December 18, although tickets are also being sold for screenings late Thursday, December 17.

Earlier on Monday, advance tickets had gone on sale in Europe, where it was reported some websites for cinemas had crashed due to demand.

Prior to the opening of "The Force Awakens," in-theater events are being planned at cinemas across the country, including marathon screenings of the previous six "Star Wars" films.