Star Wars Episode 8: 6 Major Details Lucasfilm Just Revealed

Will it pick up right after The Force Awakens?

By Alex Leadbeater /

The Force Awakens was just the beginning. It was obvious Disney didn't pay $4.05 billion just so they could make one box office smashing movie and sell a few Rey toys (eventually), but even now, with Episode VII still playing in cinemas, we're already beginning to feel the full effects of their galactic dominance. Hype for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (oh, we're actually going with that title?) is beginning to kick into gear as details begin to seep out and trailer rumours become ever-stronger, although it's got nothing on Episode VIII, which is beginning shooting and has marked the occasion by revealing some of the new cast and releasing a behind-the-scenes video announcement released. That's right - we've currently got more footage of Episode VIII than the spin-off released a year earlier. The announcement video really is just that - it features a few shots of Mark Hamill and Daisy Ridley on Skellig Michael before director Rian Johnson yells cut and introduces the movie - but it's enough to get any Star Wars fan unreasonably excited. Now, you may not think there'd be that much to glean from a thirty second teaser reel that's mostly black fades and a cast list, but you'd be wrong; here are the six big things we've just learnt. It's going to be a long wait.