Star Wars The Last Jedi is this year's big Skywalker movie

Lucasfilm and Disney have officially unveiled the title card and name of the next big sci-fi epic: Star Wars: The Last Jedi. This film is part of the Skywalker saga, which means it's going to be part of the "Episode ##" movies – in this case Episode 8, or Episode VIII. This movie will take place immediately after the end of Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. We'll expect Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailers to start popping up SOON.

The Last Jedi is both written and directed by Rian Johnson. This film should be an epic tale that lives up to the expectations of those that saw The Force Awakens in every way. Not least of all because of who Lucasfilm hired to be one of the main producers of the film.

The Last Jedi will be executive produced by JJ Abrams, Jason McGatlin, and Tom Karnowski. JJ Abrams directed The Force Awakens, and he along with producers Kathleen Kennedy and Ram Bergman will undoubtedly make this a film that will, again, break records for attendance.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi will be released on December 15, 2017. This film will likely open on the same day worldwide, which means that the United States won't be the first to see it. To be the first to see it, we recommend heading to the United Kingdom – or perhaps down to Skywalker Ranch to sneak in to George Lucas' screening.

Have a peek at SlashGear's brand new Star Wars: The Last Jedi tag portal to learn all you can about the next film release. And don't forget about our Star Wars Twitter portal, too!