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With the next STAR WARS Trilogy movie to follow THE FORCE AWAKENS just 11 months away, we now know the official title of the film, thanks to Disney and Lucasfilm releasing it today. EPISODE VIII will officially be called STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI. This was in the email I received from Disney today:
We have the greatest fans in this or any other galaxy. In appreciation of the fans, we wanted them to be the first to know the title of the next chapter in the Skywalker saga: STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI.
THE LAST JEDI is written and directed by Rian Johnson and produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Ram Bergman and executive produced by J.J. Abrams, Jason McGatlin, and Tom Karnowski. STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI is scheduled for release December 15, 2017.
But who is “The Last Jedi”, and what’s with the red lettering? We know at the end of THE FORCE AWAKENS, Rey (Daisy Ridley) went to the secret Jedi temple to return Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber to Luke (Mark Hamill). Will he train her? Push her away? Will they fight together? And which one of them will become “the last Jedi” in the end? So many questions. But hey, enough of that, let’s watch Mark Hamill talk about learning the new title:
It’s fun that Mark says it has a samurai feel, especially since George Lucas was a big fan of Akira Kurosawa films, and the STAR WARS franchise has certainly drawn influence from that. But it’s also interesting to note that even someone like Hamill, who is a main cast member, didn’t know the film’s title until we all heard it too… granted, that could just be what he was told to say, but that kind of secrecy is hard in this internet age. Now that THE LAST JEDI title is out there, it’s sure to create interesting feedback from fans. Director Rian Johnson was very happy to share the news on Twitter.
Excited (and relieved) to finally share this! https://t.co/QKzA21tuog
— Rian Johnson (@rianjohnson) January 23, 2017
So what do you think about the new title? Tell us in the comments below. Someone also pointed out that if you put together the titles of Episode VII and VIII, you get THE FORCE AWAKENS THE LAST JEDI… now that is interesting… and what will the third title be? Will it feel connected like this one? Hmmm…
Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has been a movie critic since 1994, with reviews featured in print, radio and National TV. In 2001 he started the Entertainment section of the Herorealm website, where he contributed film reviews and celebrity interviews until 2004. After three years of service there, he started Bigfanboy.com, which has become one of the Dallas film community's leading information websites. Bigfanboy hosts several movie screenings in the Texas area, and works closely with film and TV studios and promotional partners to host exciting events and contests. The site also features a variety of rare celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and Bigfanboy.com regularly covers the film festival circuit as well. In addition to Hollywood reporting, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising and sci-fi/comic book artist. Clients have included Lucasfilm Ltd., Topps Trading Cards, The Dallas Mavericks and The Dallas Stars. From 2002 until 2015 he managed the Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo and Fan Days events in the DFW area. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Show conventions, but remains an avid moviegoer and cinema buff. 
