ASSOCIATED PRESS
“Star Wars: Episode VIII” will blast into theaters on May 26, 2017, Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger announced at a shareholder meeting Thursday in San Francisco that also included news about a “Frozen” sequel.
Rian Johnson, known for the innovative time travel film “Looper,” is confirmed to write and direct. “Episode VIII” will take place after the events of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” which opens Dec. 18.
Iger also announced that the first in a series of big-screen “Star Wars” stand-alone films is titled “Rogue One.” Gareth Edwards (“Godzilla”) will direct off of a script from Chris Weitz (“About a Boy”).
Felicity Jones, who earned an Oscar nomination for her performance in “The Theory of Everything,” is set to star in “Rogue One,” which will shoot in London this summer for Dec. 16, 2016, release.
No date was disclosed for the untitled “Frozen” sequel, but Iger said the original’s directors, Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, will return.
Since its release in November 2013, “Frozen” has become a juggernaut for Disney. It made nearly $1.3 billion at the global box office and generated a massive merchandising revenue stream. The film also won the Oscar for best animated feature. Because of that enormous success, a sequel has been widely expected.
A “Frozen” short is to play in front of Disney’s latest release, “Cinderella,” which opens in theaters Friday.
