Disney CEO Bob Iger was on an investor call today and he announced some official Star Wars news.
First up, Iger has announced the release date of Star Wars Episode VIII. It will not release in December as Star Wars: The Force Awakens is this year and it will open on May 26, 2017. The CEO then announced the official title of the first Star Wars spin-off which is coming on December 16, 2016 and it will be called Rogue One. It will star actor Felicity Jones and start filming this summer in London.
Previously, the first spin-off was rumored to be about Yoda or Boba Fett or Han Solo or Obi-Wan Kenobi or Rogue Squadron. While it seems like the Rogue Squadron rumor is the closest to being the truth, no further story details were revealed at this time except that it will "go well beyond the core Star Wars Saga."
Here's Episode VIII information from their press release:
Bob 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 Looper, Don Jon, Brick, and The Brothers Bloom, are on board to produce, and J.J. Abrams will serve as executive producer.
And here's Star Wars: Rogue One info from their press release:
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 (Monsters, Godzilla) and written by Oscar nominee Chris Weitz (Cinderella, About a Boy, Antz). 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 Rises, Fast & Furious 6) and Jason McGatlin (Tintin, War of the Worlds). Kathleen Kennedy and Tony To (Band of Brothers, The 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.
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