Mara Jade to appear in Episode VII?

Several rumours have surfaced recently that suggest that Mara Jade Skywalker is set to make her movie debut in Star Wars Episode VII, after receiving an on-screen introduction in upcoming television series Star Wars Rebels.

This news comes after hearing about the great expanded universe shuffle for which Disney have convened the Lucasfilm Story Group to create a single version of Star Wars canon that encapsulates the expanded universe as well as the movies and new TV shows.

Including a hugely popular EU figure like Mara Jade could have far reaching implications on the expanded universe. As the wife of Luke Skywalker and mother of their son Ben, Mara features heavily in the New Jedi Order and Legacy eras, and has an extensive backstory as a highly skilled Force-sensitive Imperial operative, an Emperor's Hand.

JJ Abrams has recently told press that all Star Wars Episode VII rumours so far have been false, but he said similar things about rumours for Star Trek: Into Darkness which later turned out to be true.

If true, it will be interesting to find out whether EU elements have been incorporated into the latest movie, or whether the timeline as we know it is to be totally overwritten with a brand new continuity, which has been suggested might happen.