Star Wars 8: Release date, cast, Rogue One spin-off and everything else you need to know

Three Star Wars films will be out inside two years

Rian Johnson, Felicity Jones and Gareth Edwards

As the Trade Federation would have wanted, Disney announced its plans for the future of Star Wars at a shareholder meeting yesterday.

If you're not fond of watching old white dudes say "franchise" a load of time, here's all the key info from it.

Star Wars: Episode VIII gets a release date

The sequel will open in theatres on 26 May, 2017, forty years and a day after Star Wars: A New Hope and a year and half after Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Rian Johnson will direct it

Johnson directed Breaking Bad's acclaimed 'Ozymandias' episode

He's a more interesting proposition than JJ Abrams, having previously helmed Looper and Brick and been behind the camera for three episodes of Breaking Bad, including one of its finest, 'Ozymandias'.

His long-serving producer Ram Bergman will also be on board, along with Kathleen Kennedy and Abrams in executive producing roles.

Johnson says he already has "good stuff cookin' up" for it.

The first of the promised stand-alone (fancy name for spin-off) movies will be titled 'Rogue One'

It will 'explore the characters and events beyond the core Star Wars saga' and be written by Antz' Chris Weitz, directed by Gareth Edwards and produced by The Dark Knight Rises' Simon Emanuel among others.

It has its first cast member

Felicity Jones, who broke through with The Theory of Everything this year, will play an as yet unknown role.

Apparently it looks a little like a video game

Rogue One's concept art has been likened to Halo

The idea for the story came from a visual effects supervisor, so expect CGI abound, and its name suggests it might be to do with an X-Wing squadron.

Concept art for the film was shown to shareholders yesterday, which consisted of "one dark/gray image. It was probably 4-5 'soldiers' on the ground, with two to three ships in the background."

There was heavy armour and "tough-looking" vehicles, with another attendee saying the art screamed of Halo.

It will be released a year after Episode 7

Rogue One hits cinemas 16 December 2016, serving to tide people over until the proper sequel the following May.