So you managed to make it to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens at one of the earliest possible showings, and you loved it. You glided giddily out of the theory, ready to go right back for the next Star Wars movie. “Hey, wait a minute,” you said to yourself. “When does the next Star Wars movie come out anyway?”
Happily, those are the kinds of questions we’re happy to answer. And it’s also not quite as clear cut as you might first expect.
The next main Star Wars movie, as in the direct sequel to The Force Awakens is Star Wars: Episode VIII — though we’re expecting that it will get its own subtitle and not include the Roman numerals in its official name, much like this one. That film is currently due to release on May 26, 2017.
However, the Disney plan for the overall franchise also includes spin-off movies, which will tell what are essentially side stories or explore the previously untold past adventures of certain characters. The first one of those is called Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and it will beat Episode VIII to theaters with a December 16, 2016 release date.
So just to recap in case someone asks you the same question you had for yourself, the next Star Wars movie of any kind will arrive around this same time next year, while we’ve got about a year and a half to wait for the next movie in the trilogy that begins with The Force Awakens. If that seems like a long time, consider that both the original and prequel trilogies had three-year gaps between films, and we managed to survive those just fine.
Next: Star Wars: The Force Awakens -- Spoiler-Free Review
You can always go see The Force Awakens again while you wait, either in the theaters or in its upcoming home video release.