For many years fans of Star Wars were left hanging in regards to the future of the franchise. When Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace was released in 1999 it almost didn’t matter how disappointing it was, it was a new Star Wars film, the first since 1983’s Return of the Jedi. Now with Disney at the helm, it looks like that slow drip from the Lucasfilm faucet has turned into a steady stream, with a stunning third Star Wars film since they scooped up the franchise in 2012 looking to wrap before the end of this month.
Fans are eagerly awaiting Star Wars Episode VIII, the follow-up to The Force Awakens, but will at least have the luxury of anthology film Rogue One this year. Now, in a rather shocking move of a celebrity actually answering one of those pesky, unsolicited fan questions on Twitter, Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill, replied to a question about any info about the movie. The response he gave was that the wrap date for Star Wars Episode VIII will be July 22nd.
It wraps on Friday July 22nd 2016 #LooseLipsSinkStarships #W8ForVIII #DontBeAHomer #PatienceMyPadawans #Rogue1Sooner https://t.co/92syo6m36d
— Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) July 2, 2016
His post gives actual, concrete information while also tossing in a couple of #jokes for good measure, including #W8forVIII, #PatienceMyPadawans and #Rogue1Sooner. He’s right, you know, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is indeed sooner, set for a December 16, 2016 release date.
Disney’s projected output for the Star Wars franchise is pretty astounding, for better or for worse. Fans just have to hope that Disney’s quality control is as prudent as their desire to cash-in on the franchise’s intense fandom.
