Disney announced the release date of the two 'Star Wars' films. "Star Wars VIII" is set to release on May 26, 2017, while the first spinoff film "Rogue One" is slated to come out in December 16, 2016.
Eight months before the release of "Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens" on Dec. 18 this year, Disney CEO Bob Iger has announced last Thursday, during the shareholders meeting in San Franciso, that "Star Wars VIII" will be released on May 26, 2017.
Disney recently confirmed that Rian Johnson-the force behind Looper, Brick and The Brothers Bloom- will pen and direct "Star Wars: Episode VIII". However, plot details about the film were not revealed yet. It is still unclear if the cast members from the original trilogy (Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford) will return after their appearances in "Star Wars Episode VII."
The company also announced the standalone/spin-off film called 'Rogue One', starring Academy Award nominee Felicity Jones. Her role is yet to be revealed. The film is based on an idea by Oscar-winning Visual Effects Supervisor John Knoll, was written by Chris Weitz, who wrote 'Antz' and 'Cinderella'.
"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," Disney and Lucasfilm said in a statement.
The spin-off will open on Dec. 16, 2016.
'Rogue One' will be directed by Gareth Edwards, the director of last year's 'Godzilla' reboot. It will be produced by Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy alongside Knoll, Tony To and John Schwartz. However, plot details for Edwards' 'Rogue One' are yet to be known.
According to a statement on the franchise's website, 'Rogue One' is going to be unique than the average 'Star Wars' film, as it "explores the characters and events beyond the core 'Star Wars' saga."
'Rogue One' will be released in December 2016, almost exactly a year after the release of The Force Awakens. That means, Disney plans to give us a new 'Star Wars' movie each year between now and 2019.
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