One of the most anticipated events at this weekend’s D23 Disney fan expo was the live action films panel on Saturday morning. The two-hour panel featured new footage, reveals, announcements, and trailers from upcoming releases from Disney, Marvel Studios, and Lucasfilm. As is usually the case with these things, fans were perhaps most hoping there would be new footage from Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
Director Rian Johnson appeared in front of a raucous crowd in Hall D23 to talk about the film. The crowd was whipped into an even bigger frenzy when he introduced some of his friends: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Gwendoline Christie, and new faces Kelly Marie Tran, Laura Dern, and Benicio Del Toro. Mark Hamil also came out a bit later and received a standing ovation from much of the crowd. Johnson then showed a reel from the making of The Last Jedi, with plenty of behind-the-scenes glimpses, interviews with cast members (including Carrie Fisher), and some new shots.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi will be released on December 15, 2017. It will be followed by an as-yet untitled A Star Wars Story film about Han Solo in 2018, and Star Wars: Episode IX in 2019. And those will be followed by yet more Star Wars movies, forever. No one is complaining.
