UPDATE 6:03 a.m.: In addition to the news below, Disney has also revealed that a new live-action Star Wars series is on the way, most likely in 2019. It’ll be available through its forthcoming streaming video service. What a day to be a Star Wars junkie.
On Thursday afternoon, Disney and Lucasfilm announced that Star Wars: The Last Jedi filmmaker Rian Johnson (pictured directing the late Carrie Fisher above) will be creating an all-new Star Wars trilogy for the company and writing and directing the first installment of it. This, perhaps, is why J.J. Abrams was chosen to direct Episode IX instead of Johnson, because this news was in the works. This is pretty good news!
The better news: this new trilogy will explore other parts of the universe and will not- we repeat, will not– be a continuation of the Skywalker Saga. Check out the full press release here, along with quotes from Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy and Johnson himself.
There’s no word on a release date or pretty much any other information beyond what we just told you, but we’ve got to figure this bodes quite well for The Last Jedi, given that studios typically don’t ink large creative deals with directors even before their project hits screens. Congratulations to Johnson, whose success here is well deserved.
We’ll keep you updated on any news about this new trilogy as it drops. For a taste of what may come, check out Star Wars: The Last Jedi on December 15.