Star Wars: Episode 8: Everything We Know So Far
A high-profile funeral, Rey's parents and several new characters? Yep. You'll get the lot...
It's an incredible time to be alive if you're a Star Wars fan.
Imagine if someone walked up to you ten years ago and mentioned that you'd have episodes seven through nine, a prequel about the Death Star plans and a Han Solo standalone movie, all before 2020. You'd be forgiven if you slapped them round the face.
And yet, that's the reality of the world we live in. In little over a month we'll have both The Force Awakens and that aforementioned prequel under our hypothetical belts, and in little over a year, Star Wars: Episode 8 will enter the fray, and it's shaping up to be just as exciting as the episode that directly preceded it.
Based on everything we know so far, the film will feature an important scene that Episode 7 lacked and give us an answer to the biggest question that Episode 7 posed, as well as introducing a number of brand-new characters and giving us time with some beloved, older characters - and we can't wait.
So, besides the obvious - release date, director, returning cast - here's everything we know, so far, about Star Wars: Episode 8...
7. It Picks Up Right Where Episode 7 Ends
#EpisodeVIII begins exactly where #TheForceAwakens left off. -Future Filmmaker Panel #SWCE https://t.co/N1MN47Elsj pic.twitter.com/gZflXARGuC
— Star Wars (@starwars) July 17, 2016
The ending of The Force Awakens disappointed many, and it's not hard to see why - it felt rather abrupt, and fans hoped they'd get more Luke than they ended up getting.
Still, as cliffhangers go, it was an incredibly enticing one, teasing our first proper look at Luke Skywalker since Return Of The Jedi and putting us within arms reach of discovering exactly what he's been up to since the end of that movie.
So it would be an immense disappointment if Episode 8 opened, and jumped ahead a few months, skipping the Luke/Rey encounter entirely. Every Star Wars sequel jumps ahead so this wouldn't be out of the question, but luckily, this isn't the case here.
Episode 8 will pick up moments after Episode 7 ends - you'll be able to watch the two back-to-back and they'll blend together seamlessly. It should make that two-year long wait for answers feel a lot less painful, and will get the movie off to a rousing start, to boot.