Star Wars Episode VIII official title revealed

The official title for Star Wars Episode VIII has been revealed.

The next film in the iconic sci-fi saga is due to be called The Last Jedi, following on from 2015’s The Force Awakens.

The film is set to continue the stories of Rey, Finn, Poe Dameron, and BB-8, who all made their debut when Episode VII was released.

The Last Jedi is directed by Rian Johnson, known for the likes of Looper and Brick.

The name was confirmed on Twitter with a simple poster displaying the title, alongside the Star Wars logo in a red font.

The title appears to refer to the original trilogy's Jedi Luke Skywalker, who was largely absent from The Force Awakens.

While that film hinged on the search for Skywalker, who had been missing for years, it ended - spoiler alert - with Daisy Ridley’s hero Rey visiting a remote island and handing the hero's blue lightsaber back to him.

It is expected that The Last Jedi will involve Rey's Jedi training, with her character having shown a connection with the Force in The Force Awakens.

If so, it would be a move in keeping with the trajectory of the original saga, where The Empire Strikes Back largely revolved around Luke's training with Master Yoda.

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The most recently released Star Wars film, Rogue One, just passed $1 billion at the worldwide box office - but is not part of the main Skywalker saga, instead existing as a spin-off set immediately before the original 1977 Star Wars.