Star Wars News: VIII Dated; Spinoff Titled

Plans on the extended Star Wars universe are beginning to take shape, with Episode VIII receiving an official release date, and Gareth Edwards‘ (Godzilla) spinoff revealing it’s title.  The news broke on StarWars.com, and while not every question is answered, we can begin to speculate on specific details.

First off, the Edwards spinoff will be titled Rogue One, with Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything) the first to officially sign on.

Here’s the official press release from StarWars.com:

Rogue One is the title for the first film in a unique series of big-screen adventures that explores the characters and events beyond the core Star Wars saga. Rogue One will be directed by Gareth Edwards (MonstersGodzilla) and written by Oscar nominee Chris Weitz (CinderellaAbout a BoyAntz). The first actress cast is Felicity Jones, who garnered an Academy Award nomination and critical acclaim for her performance in The Theory of Everything. The idea for the story of Rogue One came from John Knoll, an Academy Award-winning visual effects supervisor and chief creative officer at Industrial Light & Magic. He will executive produce along with Simon Emanuel (The Dark Knight RisesFast & Furious 6) and Jason McGatlin (TintinWar of the Worlds). Kathleen Kennedy and Tony To (Band of BrothersThe Pacific) are on board to produce and John Swartz (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) will co-produce. The film starts shooting this summer in London and is due for release on December 16, 2016.

In addition to the spinoff title, we have an official release date for Rian Johnson’s (Looper) Episode VIII- which he will write and direct.  Forty years and one day after Star Wars: A New Hope hit theaters, Episode VIII will open May 26, 2017.

And here’s the press release on Episode VIII:

In addition, Iger confirmed that Rian Johnson will write and direct Star Wars: Episode VIII. The film, which continues the saga after the events of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, is set for release on May 26, 2017 — forty years and a day after the release of Star Wars: A New Hope in 1977. Johnson is widely considered one of cinema’s most gifted young filmmakers, having directed the modern sci-fi classic, Looper, as well as Brick and The Brothers Bloom. He was also behind the camera for three episodes of the critically-acclaimed TV series Breaking Bad, including “Ozymandias,” which series creator Vince Gilligan named as the best installment of the show. Kathleen Kennedy and Ram Bergman, producer of LooperDon JonBrick, and The Brothers Bloom, are on board to produce, and J.J. Abrams will serve as executive producer.

Both Edwards and Johnson are exceptional filmmakers, and fans should be excited to see what they have to offer the Star Wars legacy.  Before any of this happens, we’ll get J.J. AbramsStar Wars: The Force Awakens on December 18, 2015.  It’s a great time to be a Star Wars fan, and a new hope for the future of the franchise.

About Peter Towe

A graduate of UMASS Boston, Pete now lives in Chicago where he does the movie thing. This mostly consists of watching copious amounts of movies and attempting to craft his own.

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