Every Single Important Detail About Star Wars: The Last Jedi

A ton of the cast from The Force Awakens is returning, including Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac, and John Boyega. You can see the full cast here (so far)!

In a 2016 interview with Vogue, John Boyega let on that Finn will have even more action sequences in the upcoming film. "My part in the next film will be much more physical so I might be in the gym a bit more," he said. He also divulged that Episode VIII will be "much darker."

At Star Wars Celebration Europe, Boyega also revealed that "the characters have been pushed in a new direction in a very, very cool way."

After Carrie Fisher's sudden and tragic death in December 2016, many couldn't help but wonder what it meant for the future of General Leia. Luckily, Fisher wrapped Episode VIII back in July, so we'll get to see her step into that iconic role one last time. While speaking to Vanity Fair in May, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy confirmed that they don't plan on using CGI to re-create Leia in future films, saying, "We don't have any intention of beginning a trend of re-creating actors who are gone."

Rian Johnson is writing and directing Episode VIII. If his name is familiar, it's because he directed the 2005 indie thriller Brick and 2012's psychological crime drama Looper, both of which starred Joseph Gordon-Levitt. (Let's all hope for a surprise cameo from his buddy!)

In the behind-the-scenes footage released at Disney's D23 Expo, Daisy Ridley called Johnson's vision for the second film in the trilogy "unexpected but right," and John Boyega said he's made "Star Wars feel fresh and new."

During Star Wars Celebration Europe, director Johnson revealed the films he considers inspiration for Episode VIII: Twelve O'Clock High, Letter Never Sent, and The Bridge on the River Kwai, all war movies.

Yes, it's all fine and great that a bunch of the cast will be back, but what about Han Solo? He dies in The Force Awakens, but hope is not lost. Producer Kathleen Kennedy said that all the cast members at the premiere of The Force Awakens will also be in Episode VII, and Harrison Ford was present. Sure, she could have overlooked him, but Han might also appear in a flashback. There are ways around death in the Star Wars universe!

While in the past, most of the stories have had a particular time jump in between films, it's been confirmed that the next movie will take place right where The Force Awakens left off with Rey and Luke Skywalker. "For the first time, this movie is going to start where the last one left off," said director Johnson, during Star Wars Celebration Europe. He also called Ireland's Skellig Michael, that place Luke appears in Episode VII, "a very mystical, magical place."

The new movie was shooting scenes in Dubrovnik, Croatia for a while, but Mark Hamill confirmed on Twitter that production had wrapped nearly two weeks ahead of schedule on July 10, 2016.

The movie will be released on Dec. 15, 2017. Here's when the rest of the Star Wars movies and spinoffs will come out.