Despite only having been available in theatres less than two weeks, this holiday weekend has seen Star Wars: The Force Awakens earn $1 billion in worldwide box office takings, and with many families enjoying time off work and school/college over the following week the possibility of the record breaking movie surpassing the $2 billion mark by this coming weekend are exceedingly high.
Fans continue to speculate on the many unanswered questons posed in the movie while they await the next movie; Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which will be released December 16th, 2016. Rogue One will be the first "spin-off" Star Wars movie. Directed by Gareth Edwards (Godzilla) Rogue One will chronicle the adventures of the Rebel Alliance special forces team of the same name, whom stole the plans to the Death Star featured in Star Wars: A New Hope. A trailer was seen at this years Star Wars Celebration event in Anaheim, and is expected to be released soon.
May 26th, 2017 will see some of the questions posed in The Force Awakens answered in the eighth episode of the Star Wars saga. J.J. Abrams will produce, with Rian Johnson (Looper) directing. The movie is expected to see Mark Hamill play a more prominent role as the last Jedi Luke Skywalker, alongside returning newcomers John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac, Domhall Gleeson, Christie Gwendoline, Adam Driver and Andy Serkis. According to Making Star Wars, it is also possible that Hayden Christensen may also return as both Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader, if abandoned ideas seen in the Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens book are to be used (pictured above). These ideas see the dual character appearing as a force ghost to both Luke (as Anakin) and the sequel trilogies antagonist Kylo Ren (as Vader), showing the characters unbalanced relationship to the Force. Episode VIII will begin filming at pinewood studios in January, though some early filming occured in September at Michael Skelig in Ireland, where filming had previously taken place for The Force Awakens featuring Mark Hamill. Carrie Fisher, Anthony Daniels and Peter Mayhew will also return.
Speaking recently on the Empire Podcast co-writer of The Force Awakens Lawrence Kasdan spoke about the forthcoming second spin-off Star Wars movie which is due for release May 25th 2018. Directed by Chris Miller and Phil Lord (The LEGO Movie) the as-of-yet untitled movie will be written by Kasdan an his son Jon, and is expected to star a young Han Solo, in an adventure set before he met Obi Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker in the Cantina on Tattooine...
"I think it won’t be the thing you’re worried about. It will not be like here is where he was born and this is how he was raised. I think what it will be is what was he like ten years earlier, ya know maybe a little earlier you’ll get a glimpse but… what formed the person we meet in the cantina? It is not so much about his specific history. It is about what makes a person like that? He’s not full formed in the cantina! Kurosawa once said ‘the heroes are the ones that are still changing and the villains are locked and petrified into what they are’ and Harrison embodies in Force Awakens someone that’s still not settled on who he is."
The Han Solo spin-off movie will be followed by the ninth episode, which is to be directed by Colin Trevorrow (pictured above right) and will release May 24th, 2019. No details have been announced about the movies narrative, though fans can likely expect the movie to conclude, for the most part the story arcs and dynamics of its leading cast of characters; Rey, Finn, Poe Dameron and Kylo Ren.
Following the concluding episode in the sequel trilogy will be the eagerly awaited Boba Fett spin-off movie, which will likely follow the theme of its predecessor spin-off movies and feature a younger Boba fett in a storyline set before the events of Star Wars: A New Hope, though speculation suggests it may follow after the events of Return of the Jedi, as seen in the fan film "The New Republic Athology" (featured above). This third spin-off Star Wars adventure will be released in 2020.
Though it has yet to be confirmed, rumors and speculation suggest that Disney and Lucasfilm are also planned a final Star Wars trilogy which will consist of episodes X, XI and XII. Unsurprisingly there are no details to support this rumor, but it would fit with one of creator George Lucas' original plans for the franchise.
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