Star Wars purists rejoice, and forget about your desire to burn George Lucas at the stake for sacrilege.

Leaked photos from the set of Star Wars VII in Abu Dhabi show a return to the gritty, grimy realism that made Star Wars IV to VI the iconic legends that thrill passionate fans to this day.

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Thank you, JJ Abrams, for abandoning the childishly clean, CGI silliness that made Star Wars I to III suitable only for kids or adults with kids' brains.

The leaked photos from TMZ show Tatooine, Luke Skywalker's home planet, with sweating, dirty locals and ferocious looking monsters that haven't been given names. One of these beasts is an ugly four-legged creature that looks like it was parented by a rhino and a pig.

Hardly anything has been revealed about the script for the Star Wars VII but the photos suggest a back-to-basics style of realism that was sorely missed in Lucas' CGI-focused silliness that were the Star Wars I to III prequels.

A crew of 600 came to Abu Dhabi last month to build the sets on a closely guarded site. Desert filming has since been completed and filming has moved to stages in London.

Lucasfilm has announced that Lupita Nyong'o, who won the 2013 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for 12 Years a Slave, and Gwendoline Christie, currently starring in the hit TV series Game of Thrones, have joined the cast.

"The Star Wars fans are some of the most passionate and committed folks around the globe," said Abrams.

"We're thrilled to offer a chance to come behind the scenes as our VIP guests and be in Star Wars: Episode VII."

TagsStar Wars: Episode VII