Rian Johnson’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi is due in theaters in a little over the month, and now we have official word that he will be starting another movie trilogy in the sprawling franchise as well.
“Obviously I hope you like The Last Jedi. But man now I REALLY hope you like The Last Jedi,” “>he quipped on Twitter, shortly after Disney-owned LucasFilm officially released the announcement.
This is obviously huge news for any fans of the franchise, who up until now had been wondering about Disney’s plans to continue the movies past Episode IX (already scheduled for December 20, 2019).
Not much is known about the new trilogy, except that it will supposedly not focus on the Skywalker family and their saga. So far, the family has been prominent in each of the films: Luke Skywalker was the protagonist of the original three films, with his (spoiler!) long-list sister Leia as one of the secondary characters; the prequel trilogy focused on Anakin Skywalker, their father, as he (spoiler!) falls from grace and becomes the villainous Darth Vader.
The newest films, made after Disney acquired LucasFilm, have focused on a new main character, Rey, who is being trained by Luke but does not seem to be related to him (though there are fan theories, so let’s wait until next month). She is being trained by Luke, however, while (spoiler!) one of the main villains is Luke’s nephew. It is possible that the newest trilogy will be about Rey and her companions—former Stormtrooper Finn, daredevil pilot Poe and playful droid BB-8—without the baggage of the Skywalker clan. However, Star Wars has a sprawling timeline and a whole galaxy of locations, so really it is hard to say what Johnson and Disney could have planned.
In addition to the “episode” films, Disney has also been making its “anthology” movies, which tell other stories in the Star Wars galaxy. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was a big success last year, while Solo: A Star Wars Story will be coming out May 25, 2018. More are planned, but have not been confirmed.
In the same announcement that revealed the fourth trilogy, LucasFilm announced plans to create a live-action television series for Disney’s upcoming streaming service. So far, its subject matter and release date are similarly a mystery to the fans.
