For all things Episode VIII related info including spoilers.
The release date is now December 15, 2017.
The Official Synopsis from Star Wars.com
“In Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the Skywalker saga continues as the heroes of The Force Awakens join the galactic legends in an epic adventure that unlocks age-old mysteries of the Force and shocking revelations of the past.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi opens in U.S. theaters on December 15, 2017.”
It used to be the Rebels vs. the Empire. Now it's the First Order vs. the Resistance. One would think the Rebels would become stronger after defeating the Empire, yet, they're not.
Maybe a prequel film will explain this in 2059, after the highly successful Nien Nunb standalone prequel. [Reply]
Originally Posted by tk13:
I don't know if we have an Episode IX thread, but they just announced that Colin Trevorrow is out as the director for Ep. 9. Pretty big news.
Originally Posted by Modser:
Any word on who is in? Are they just going to let Rian Johnson have a go at it (as is seemingly the popular opinion to do)?
I haven't heard anything yet about a new director but I knew this was coming (and may have posted or may have forgot).
That disturbance in the Force you just felt? Another Star Wars director leaving the galaxy far, far away.
Lucasfilm and Disney announced Tuesday that Colin Trevorrow has left the upcoming Star Wars: Episode IX film, the big-budget close of the trilogy that started with 2015's The Force Awakens and the upcoming The Last Jedi. It's also the latest high-profile exit from the franchise: In June, Phil Lord and Chris Miller were fired from the young Han Solo movie mere weeks from a wrap on filming.
"Colin has been a wonderful collaborator throughout the development process, but we have all come to the conclusion that our visions for the project differ," Lucasfilm's statement said. "We wish Colin the best and will be sharing more information about the film soon." [Reply]
Lucasfilm has announced that Jurassic World filmmaker Colin Trevorrow is leaving the project.
Here’s their statement:
“Lucasfilm and Colin Trevorrow have mutually chosen to part ways on Star Wars: Episode IX. Colin has been a wonderful collaborator throughout the development process but we have all come to the conclusion that our visions for the project differ. We wish Colin the best and will be sharing more information about the film soon.”
Playwright Jack Thorne, best known for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, was recently hired to do a comprehensive rewrite of the Episode IX script by Trevorrow and his Safety Not Guaranteed co-screenwriter Derek Connolly. While the nature of the disagreement with Lucasfilm isn’t clear, there have been rumblings of discontent for several months. During that time, Trevorrow also suffered withering reviews for his passion project, The Book of Henry, which was a critical and commercial calamity.
Although Lucasfilm’s new movies have found immense success at the box office and with audiences and critics, the process of working with directors on the new saga and spin-offs has occasionally been fraught. Chronicle filmmaker Josh Trank was set to direct an unspecified stand-alone movie (believed to be a Boba Fett project) before parting ways amid chaos on the recent Fantastic Four movie. And The Lego Movie directors Phil Miller and Chris Lord were removed from the young Han Solo film and replaced with veteran Ron Howard amid disputes over the state of that project. While there were reshoots on the spin-off Rogue One, director Gareth Edwards remained on the project through completion.
Rian Johnson has had no such turmoil during the making of The Last Jedi, which hits theaters in December. And J.J. Abrams had a similarly smooth process reigniting the franchise with 2015’s The Force Awakens. Depending on the turnaround necessary for a filmmaker to begin the 2019 Episode IX, either Johnson or Abrams, who has no pending directorial commitments, seem like possible fan favorites to bring the trilogy to a close.