'Star Wars 8' Release Date Announced: May 26, 2017 - Director Rian Johnson Announces 'The Force Awakens' Sequel Premiere!

At the annual Disney shareholders meeting this week, CEO Bob Iger revealed some huge news concerning the next two chapters of the Star Wars universe. Iger announced that Star Wars: Episode VIII, the sequel to J.J. Abrams' 2015 blockbuster The Force Awakens, would officially be written and directed by Rian Johnson (Looper, Brick) and would hit theaters on May 26, 2017. We also learned that the first spin-off, standalone movie project in the Lucasfilm franchise officially has a name and a star! Academy Award nominee Felicity Jones will star in director Gareth Edwards' Star Wars: Rogue One. You can check out more on this story HERE, but find out more about Episode VIII below!

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According to the official news on StarWars.com (via Slash Film), the yet-to-be-titled Episode VIII will hit theaters exactly 40 years and one day after Star Wars: A New Hope premiered in 1977. Iger also confirmed what many of us already knew to be true: Rian Johnson will write and direct the next chapter of the main Star Wars story.

"The film, which continues the saga after the events of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, is set for release on May 26, 2017," the official statement read. "Johnson is widely considered one of cinema's most gifted young filmmakers, having directed the modern sci-fi classic, Looper, as well as Brick and The Brothers Bloom."

A major Star Wars movie as your fourth official film project isn't too bad if you ask us!

We know very little about The Force Awakens, so it makes snese that we basically only know the release date for Episode VIII right now. We're sure to get more details as the release date for J.J. Abrams' film approaches, but we'll have a much better idea once we've all seen it! What do you think of this exciting news? Let us know in the comments section below!