Disney Releases Official Title of ‘Star Wars: Episode VIII’

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“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” will take place following “The Force Awakens.”

Disney released the official title of the next Star Wars movie on Jan. 23.

Director Rian Johnson recently posted a picture on social media of the traditional opening crawl being created for the film, followed by the release of the title screen a few days later. The title screen revealed the name of the next installment in the franchise: “The Last Jedi.”

“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” follows “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” as the most recent production from Lucasfilm.

Produced by J.J. Abrams and with music by John Williams, “The Last Jedi” has all of the makings of a new Star Wars classic. The confirmed cast includes Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Oscar Isaac reprising their roles as Rey, Finn and Poe Dameron, respectively, in addition to Adam Driver as the Sith villain, Kylo Ren.

Also making a return will be the classic characters of Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa and wookiee Chewbacca, played by Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Peter Mayhew.

There is a great deal of speculation surrounding the new movie, considering Disney has yet to release a trailer.

The title, “The Last Jedi,” is rumored as referring to Luke, traditionally the last trained Jedi, but may well mean any of the new characters — such as Rey or Finn, who seem to have unnatural talent with a lightsaber.

Since Skellig Michael, an island off the coast of Ireland, is listed one of the filming locations for “The Last Jedi,” fans may be able to expect a return to the island where Rey discovered Luke Skywalker in the final scene of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”

Fans also hope one of the long debated issues from “The Force Awakens” will be addressed in the new film: Who exactly is Rey, the cryptic girl from Jakku? The most popular fan theory surrounding the character is that she is Luke’s daughter, but other theories include her being a former student of his, or a descendant of Obi-Wan Kenobi, seeing as only Rey and Kenobi use British accents in the films.

There is also some speculation concerning what will happen to General Leia Organa, considering the death of Carrie Fisher in December 2016. While filming for “The Last Jedi” wrapped in July of that year, the impact of her passing will play a role in any upcoming Star Wars film, including the planned Episode IX, set to be released in 2019.

“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” will be released in theaters Dec. 15, 2017.

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