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'Star Wars' sequel and stand-alone film details revealed by Disney

The Force is strong with Star Wars sequels
The Force is strong with Star Wars sequels

The Mouse House revealed in its annual shareholder meeting that Star Wars: Episode VIII, the sequel to Abrams’ Star Wars: The Force Awakens, will be released on May 16, 2017. The film will be directed by Rian Johnson, who is best known for the sci-fi time travel film Looper, and the Joseph Gordon-Levitt-starring teenage noir flick, Brick.

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Before that, however, Star Wars fans will be treated to the first stand-alone film of the new era, which will be titled Star Wars: Rogue One. That film will star Felicity Jones, the Oscar-nominated star of The Felicity of Everything, and be directed by Godzilla filmmaker Gareth Edwards. According to Lucasfilm, the film will “explore the characters and events beyond the core Star Wars saga.” That movie will be in theaters on December 16, 2016 — just shy of a year after Abrams’ film hits the big screen.

The news made today means that, after a decade without Star Wars films, there will be three new films set in the galaxy far, far away within a period of 18 months.

Jordan Zakarin writes for Yahoo Movies