'Star Wars: Episode VIII' Has a Title

Star Wars
'The Last Jedi' will premiere in theaters December 15. Twitter

The eighth episode of the Star Wars saga will officially be titled Star Wars: The Last Jedi, according to a tweet from the franchise sent Monday morning.

It's official. STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI is the next chapter of the Skywalker saga. This December. #TheLastJedi https://t.co/ySkVwQcMTP pic.twitter.com/eHrPgbsRJq

— Star Wars (@starwars) January 23, 2017

Written and directed by Rian Johnson (Looper, Breaking Bad), The Last Jedi will continue the Skywalker storyline where The Force Awakens left off. The titular last jedi presumably refers to Rey, the gifted hero of Episode VII who travels to meet an aged Luke Skywalker, from whom she will—again, presumably—learn how to fine tune her powers. Speculation has abounded as to the identiy of Rey's parents, and many have put forth that she may be a Skywalker herself.

Related: Woody Harrelson to join 'Star Wars' Han Solo movie?

The news of the film's title comes a day after Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which was released in December, was revealed to have surpassed $1 billion in worldwide box office earnings. Considering it is a continuation of the principle plot line rather than an auxiliary story, The Last Jedi will almost certainly bring in more money than Rogue One. The Force Awakens, which was released in December of 2015, grossed over $2 billion.

After The Last Jedi hits theaters in December, a film focusing on the origins of Han Solo is scheduled to be released in the spring of 2018. In other words, it might be a while before we see a film without the Star Wars brand top the yearly box office.

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