The New Star Wars Anthology Films Explained

Hello, fellow moviegoers!
    It’s been just over three years since Disney bought Lucasfilm and announced that they were moving forward with new Star Wars films. The three films you'd expect are coming very soon. Episode VII opens this Friday, Episode VIII in May of 2017, and Episode IX is scheduled for release sometime in 2019. Exciting right?
   These aren't the only new Star Wars films going into production. Unknown to a lot of the movie-going audience, there will be even more movies taking place in a galaxy far, far away. Under the banner of Star Wars Anthology, these new films won’t be the traditional episodes we’re used to. So what exactly are they? What are they going to be about? Here’s my explanation…

  
​   The Star Wars Anthology films are going to be a group of spin-off movies based in the traditional Star Wars universe. These films are meant to further expand the Star Wars universe in a way that is unrestricted by the main forward-moving story. These Anthology films will allow Lucasfilm and Disney to go back in time with their stories and tell older tales, further explore side characters introduced in the new films, or whatever they deem worthy.
   The first film, Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One or Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (depending on who you ask) is the first scheduled for released. The movie going audience will feast their eyes upon this film on December 16th, 2016, exactly a year from the date on which this will post. Not much has been said about Rogue One, but we do know the general idea of it.
    Rogue One will take place in the weeks leading up to the original Star Wars film, now titled A New Hope. It stars Academy Award nominee Felicity Jones, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk, and Forest Whitaker. The first official picture can be seen on the right. 
   This Anthology film will follow a group of rebel pilots sent to steal the Death Star plans that end up setting in motion the entire Star Wars story. Episode IV starts with Leia Organa in control of these Death Star plans, and a majority of that film revolves around getting them to the secret rebel base on Yavin. But how did they acquire those plans in the first place? That’s what this film looks to explore. Also, we know that Darth Vader will have a role in the film. Rumor has it we could see a group of bounty hunters as well, including Boba Fett. 
   The second Anthology film will hit theaters in May of 2018. We know even less about this film. It’s being directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller. While they may not be household names, they definitely should be. This dynamic duo has brought us such films as Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, 21 Jump Street and its sequel, and The LEGO Movie. Plus they’re also writing the new Flash film for the DCEU (D.C. Extended Universe) and an animated Spiderman movie that will be hitting theaters in 2018. Throw in there that this new Anthology film will focus around a young Han Solo and you’ve got a recipe for success. The difficult part is going to be finding someone new to play a young Solo, as Harrison Ford won’t star in the film for obvious reasons. It is being reported that Lucasfilm and Disney have auditioned more than 2,500 actors for the part, including Dave Franco, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Miles Teller. My personal choice would be Kingsman’s Taron Egerton.
   The third announced Anthology film we know nothing about, except that it's coming. It’s safe to assume it’ll be released in 2020, but anything past that is a just rumor as of now. There have been stirrings of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Boba Fett, and possibly even a Yoda film. This past week Head of Lucasfilm Kathleen Kennedy stated that not all of the Anthology films will be prequels, so perhaps it’s an idea none of us have conceived yet? Only time will tell.
   That’s a lot to digest, I know. But here’s a short recap of the release schedule:
-Star Wars: The Force Awakens---December 17th, 2015 (This Friday)
-Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One---December 16th, 2016
-Star Wars Episode VIII---May 26th, 2017
-Untitled Anthology Han Solo Film---May 25th, 2018
-Star Wars Episode IX---2019
-Untitled Anthology Film---~2020.

---

    So what do you think of this new Star Wars universe Disney and Lucasfilm are building? What do you want that the 2020 Anthology film to be? Let me know by commenting on this post! Also, if you enjoyed this editorial, share it on Facebook and Twitter. It really helps! Don’t forget, I post every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, so check back then for more movie reviews and editorials. I’ll be seeing The Force Awakens Thursday night, so my review for that will be up this Friday! Hopefully, it’s worth the wait!