So with so many Star Wars film currently in production, I thought it might be helpful to give you guys a run down of what to be expecting! This list also includes all the latest information on each of the films some of which are as far away as 2020! Disney and Lucasfilm will be releasing one movie every year, and in that time, also completing a new trilogy of films (Episode VII, Episode VIII and Episode IX). Â Without further ado then let’s get started!
This list will be updated for latest developments so keep checking back!
Star Wars: The Force Awakens – December 18th, 2015
The J.J. Abrams directed epic has a lot to accomplish. There is a lot of pressure to produce a film worthy of the original trilogy, as well as launching the entire slate of new movies with the wind firmly under their wings. Analysts are already expecting The Force Awakens to break Jurassic World‘s still shiny new record for the largest opening weekend. It is thought that Star Wars: The Force Awakens will burn through $1 billion and if it’s lucky even reach a gigantic $2 billion in cinemas. Having cost Disney $200 million to make (which will look much more like $400+ million after marketing) the studio is rightly confident that the movie will be a success.
So far we know very little about the plot as a whole. Abrams has recently however given us a more information in regard to the villain Kylo Ren. He was born sometime after The Battle of Endor, and in adulthood created his own lightsaber and went over to the dark side of the force. He is also a member of the Knights of Ren (where he gets his fancy name) and in alliance with The First Order. Many speculate he could turn out to be the son of Hans Solo and Leia Solo. Importantly Kylo Ren is not a Sith.
This film will of course also see the return of the original cast (which has become a J.J. Abrams hallmark after the return of Lenard Nimoy in the modern Star Trek franchise). Returning members have been listed by Disney as Harrison Ford (Han Solo), Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) and of course Kenny Baker and Anthony Daniels (R2-D2 and C-3PO).
Little else is known at this time and Disney are keeping the main story tightly under wraps. We do however know that the film was shot very much in the style of the first Lucas trilogy. So that means lots of puppets, costumes and as little CGI as possible! Abrams has emphasised throughout his time on the film that he wanted to make it feel authentic to the Star Wars universe.
Star Wars: Rogue One – December 16th, 2016
Rogue One will be the first Star War Anthology film and will release in 2016. It’ll follow the story of the crew that first stole the Death Star plans from the Emperor before the events of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope and stars Felicity Jones, Alan Tudyk (in a motion capture role), Ben Mendelsohn and more. For more information and a full run down of the entire cast and crew, head on over here. Interestingly, the idea to first do non-episodic Star Wars films actually came from lord and creator George Lucas himself who said he was “really interested in exploring all the stories that existed inside the universe.”. The film is set to be directed by Gareth Edwards and the script has been written by Chris Weitz (who took over from Gary Whitta).
Not much has been heard of from this film mainly due to the fact that Disney had another film Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation coming out this year and the names were seen as too similar. We’ll certainly be seeing more of a marketing push come early next year though and the movie is expected to be different tonally to the previous and current Star Wars trilogies.
Star Wars Episode VIII – May 26th, 2017
This film will continue the story of Star Wars: The Force Awakens and will star once again British actress Daisy Ridley in the role of Rey. The movie will be directed and written by Rian Johnson of Looper fame and he will also be acting as writer for Episode IX. Benicio Del Toro, who played The Collector in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, has confirmed that he will be playing the main antagonist in Episode VIII.
Star Wars: Han Solo – May 25th, 2018
This movie has been rumoured to be on the table since as early as the 2013 acquisition of Lucas film by Disney. Whilst we know that the Lego Movie and Jump Street directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller will be directing we know little else. Who would you cast as a young Han Solo?
Star Wars Episode IX – 2019
The final instalment in the modern trilogy will release in 2019 and be written by Rian Johnson and directed by Colin Trevorrow (Jurassic World, Safety Not Guaranteed).
Star Wars: Boba Fett – 2020
Not much is known at this point about the Boba Fett movie, it being so far in the future. It was originally planned to be directed by Josh Trank however, after the disastrous Fantastic Four reboot film at Fox, these plans have now fallen through.
