Latest update: Rogue One character details, Episode VIII chatter
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is currently making short work of the worldwide box office. Despite the fact that said JJ Abrams film hasn’t event left cinemas yet, Lucasfilm and Disney are already working on its follow-up and a whole host of other Star Wars movies (namely a handful of spin-offs that will expand on the story of the main saga).
As with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Disney’s plan here is to squeeze as Star Wars movie into cinemas every year. Here’s when UK audiences can expect all the of them…
16th December 2016: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Next out of the gate is Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (previously known as Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One). This one arrives in December of 2016, pretty much a year to the day after the release of The Force Awakens. In terms of story, it covers the Rebel Alliance’s mission to steal the plans to the first Death Star prior to the events of A New Hope.
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Godzilla reboot and Monsters director Gareth Edwards is calling the shots on this one, and he’s assembled an impressive cast consisting of The Theory Of Everything’s Felicity Jones, Hannibal’s Mads Mikkelsen and the mighty Forest Whitaker. Expect gritty battles and possibly a heist movie structure.
Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren, Daisy Ridley’s Rey and presumably everyone else who survived the events of The Force Awakens will return in its direct sequel, Star Wars Episode VIII. The subtitle for this one hasn’t been announced yet, and nor has any tiny slither of the plot.
In true Empire Strikes Back fashion, Finn actor John Boyega has promised that Episode VIII will be ‘much darker’ than its predecessor. J.J. Abrams will hang around in an executive producer capacity while Brick and Looper’s Rian Johnson will plonk himself in the director’s chair.
This one was originally earmarked for May 2017, but has now been pushed back to an American release date of 15th December 2017. When we hear its new UK date, we’ll let you know.
A UK release date hasn’t been announced yet, but we know that the as-yet-untitled Han Solo movie will arrive on American screens on 25th May 2018. The Empire Strikes Back, Return Of The Jedi and The Force Awakens scribe Lawrence Kasdan is writing a script for The LEGO Movie’s Phil Lord and Chris Miller to direct.
Alden Ehrenreich will play the iconic scruff-lookin’ nerf-herder, having beaten Miles Teller, Dave Franco and Scott Eastwood to the part. The film will apparently begin about ten years before A New Hope.
Further reading: Alden Ehrenreich cast as Han Solo
May 2019: Star Wars Episode IX
Again, this one doesn’t have a UK release date yet, but it’s set to reach US screens on 24th May 2019. It’s the sequel to Star Wars Episode VIII, which itself is a sequel to The Force Awakens. Whatever happens in VIII will be followed up in this one, then.
We really don’t know much more than that, other than the fact that Safety Not Guaranteed and Jurassic World director Colin Trevorrow is in the writing and directing hot seats. Unless anything happens to them in Episode VIII, we’d expect more Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver and John Boyega.
Further reading: Episode IX – Colin Trevorrow on fan theories
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2020: Boba Fett?
It’s all gone a bit quiet on the Boba Fett movie front. Josh Trank was on board to direct at one stage, before departing the project around the same time that he was getting a lot of flack in the press about his Fantastic Four reboot. Since he left, it doesn’t have a director or a writer, as far as we know.
Last we heard, this one was pencilled in for a 2020 release. Regardless, many fans would like to see a Boba Fett story elaborating on the life and times of the enigmatic bounty hunter. Mr Fett has been played by Mark Austin, Jeremy Bullock, Temuera Morrison, Jason Wingereen and Daniel Logan on the big screen over the years, but that’s not to say he’ll necessarily have a familiar face this time around.
Further reading: Boba Fett movie pushed to 2020
As Lucasfilm divulge more details about these films, and quite possibly announce a few more, we’ll update this list to let you know.
