With so much focus on The Force Awakens, it’s easy to forget about all the other plans Disney has for the Star Wars franchise. From cartoons to books, the universe is set to expand in major ways this year. However, everything always comes back to the feature films, and that’s what makes today’s news amazing.
After months of wondering, Disney has confirmed that Episode 8, which is set to be written and directed by Rian Johnson, will be released May 26, 2017 (just in time for the 40th anniversary). In addition, the spin-off film that’s being written by Chris Weitz and directed by Gareth Edwards is now officially called Rogue One and will be released in December 2016 (a firm date within the month has yet to be decided, but it will most likely come around Christmas).
Disney’s wasting no time in getting their newly purchased franchise up and running. Most likely, this will be the release pattern going forward: summer slots for the “episodes,” winter slots for the spin-offs. That sounds like a solid plan if there ever was one, and it’s nice to see the franchise returning to the summer season it helped cement.
Source: Disney
