Lucasfilm has announced there’ll be an all-new Star Wars movie trilogy following the completion of Episodes VIII and IX.
In a surprise official blog post on Thursday evening, it was confirmed The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson (above) will lead the project.
The new live action trilogy will be completely separate from the Skywalker saga (Episodes I-IX) and explore characters and planets never-before featured in the series.
Related: The Last Jedi
In the blog post, Lucasfilm wrote: “As writer-director of The Last Jedi, Johnson conceived and realized a powerful film of which Lucasfilm and Disney are immensely proud.
“In shepherding this new trilogy, which is separate from the episodic Skywalker saga, Johnson will introduce new characters from a corner of the galaxy that Star Wars lore has never before explored.”
#TheLastJedi's @rianjohnson is returning to a galaxy far, far away…. https://t.co/UHujwYOGgp pic.twitter.com/dg92hLyQse
— Star Wars (@starwars) November 9, 2017
Judging from the mention of “Star Wars lore”, these will be completely original stories not explored anywhere else within the extended Star Wars universe (books, comics, animated series, etc.).
Blank canvas
Johnson will write and direct the first installment of the new trilogy, while Ram Bergman will resprise his producer role from The Last Jedi.
No release dates have been set for any of the new films.
Given we have one Star Wars film a year until 2019, plus the possibility of more spin-offs, it’s likely to be beyond 2020 before the new trilogy hits theaters.
“We all loved working with Rian on The Last Jedi,” said Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm. “He’s a creative force, and watching him craft The Last Jedi from start to finish was one of the great joys of my career. Rian will do amazing things with the blank canvas of this new trilogy.”
Are you excited to explore an entirely new sector of the the galaxy far, far away? Or does this news fill you with trepidation? Drop us a line @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
