Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger announced today during the company’s quarterly earnings call that “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” director Rian Johnson will create a new trilogy set in the “Star Wars” universe.

The new trilogy will be separate from the main Skywalker saga and, according to a Disney press release, the film will “introduce new characters from a corner of the galaxy that Star Wars lore has never before explored.”

Johnson is set to write and direct the first film in the new trilogy with longtime collaborator Ram Bergman onboard to produce.

“We all loved working with Rian on The Last Jedi,” said Lucasfilm Kathleen Kennedy in a statement. “He’s a creative force, and watching him craft The Last Jedi from start to finish was one of the great joys of my career. Rian will do amazing things with the blank canvas of this new trilogy.”

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“We had the time of our lives collaborating with Lucasfilm and Disney on The Last Jedi,” Johnson and Bergman said in a joint statement. “Star Wars is the greatest modern mythology and we feel very lucky to have contributed to it. We can’t wait to continue with this new series of films.”

Johnson’s upcoming “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” arrives in U.S. theaters on Dec. 15, 2017.

No release dates have been set for the new films.

Johnson is repped by CAA.

All the 'Star Wars' Behind-the-Scenes Shakeups Since Disney Bought Lucasfilm (So Far)

In September 2017, Lucasfilm announced it had parted ways with "Star Wars: Episode IX" director Colin Trevorrow just months before the film was set to begin production, and then revealing a week later that JJ Abrams would take his place. But that's hardly the first shakeup of the modern "Star Wars" era. Here's all the drama that's happened since Disney bought Lucasfilm (and the "Star Wars" franchise) in 2012.
All three new numbered "Star Wars" movies ("The Force Awakens," "The Last Jedi," and the untitled Episode IX) were originally announced for May launches before being pushed to December.
Michael Arndt was originally hired to write "The Force Awakens" but was replaced because his draft wasn't coming along as quickly as the powers that be at Lucasfilm wanted -- director JJ Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan took over screenwriting duties.
Josh Trank, the first director hired for the standalone anthology film that we now know as "Untitled Han Solo Film," was fired from the project in May 2015 amid reports of drama on the set of his "Fantastic Four" film, with producer Simon Kinberg reportedly calling him "erratic." Trank later said he left "Star Wars" because he wanted to do "something original."
Throughout 2016, there were rumors that Lucasfilm was very unhappy with the version of "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" that director Gareth Edwards delivered. Reports emerged that execs commissioned extensive reshoots and rewrites overseen by scribe Tony Gilroy.
Right after Rian Johnson was hired to write and direct "Episode VIII," it was also reported that he would write a story treatment for "Episode IX." But that never came to be: Johnson tweeted in 2017 that he didn't write an "Episode IX" treatment.
Colin Trevorrow landed the "Episode IX" directing gig in 2015, and wrote the first script with his writing partner Derek Connolly. But Lucasfilm ultimately nixed their screenplay, and in August, Jack Thorne was reported to have taken over those duties. (Lucasfilm still hasn't made any official announcement about Thorne.)
Phil Lord and Chris Miller were hired to direct "Han Solo" from Lawrence Kasdan's script, and made it through most of production before being fired in June 2017. Reports credited a conflict with Lucasfilm over their filmmaking style. Ron Howard was then brought in to finish the project.
Michael K. Williams landed a supporting role in the Han Solo movie, but after Ron Howard replaced Lord and Miller, the amount of additional shooting was apparently extensive enough that Williams no longer had time for the film. His character ended up being cut from the film completely.
Colin Trevorrow exited "Episode IX" completely in September 2017. In a statement, Lucasfilm said the split happened because "our visions for the project differ."
Trevorrow was replaced on "Episode IX" by "The Force Awakens" director JJ Abrams, who Disney also announced would write the screenplay with "Argo" and "Batman V Superman" scribe Chris Terrio.

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From the first ‘The Force Awakens’ script to the departure of “Episode IX” director Colin Trevorrow

In September 2017, Lucasfilm announced it had parted ways with "Star Wars: Episode IX" director Colin Trevorrow just months before the film was set to begin production, and then revealing a week later that JJ Abrams would take his place. But that's hardly the first shakeup of the modern "Star Wars" era. Here's all the drama that's happened since Disney bought Lucasfilm (and the "Star Wars" franchise) in 2012.

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