Claim: Mark Hamill is in Star Wars sequel trilogy.

The Star Wars sequel trilogy is the third film trilogy in the Star Wars American space opera franchise , created by George Lucas . It is being produced by Lucasfilm Ltd. and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures . The trilogy is to consist of episodes VII through IX and chronologically follows Return of the Jedi -LRB- 1983 -RRB- in the saga . Lucas originally planned a sequel trilogy in the mid-1970s , but had abandoned these plans by the late 1990s . The Walt Disney Company acquired Lucasfilm in late 2012 and then announced the production of a sequel trilogy .   The first installment , Star Wars : The Force Awakens , was released on December 18 , 2015 in the U.S. , following a special premiere screening in Los Angeles on December 14 . The film is directed by J. J. Abrams who cowrote the screenplay with Lawrence Kasdan and Michael Arndt . Harrison Ford , Mark Hamill , Carrie Fisher , and other main cast members from the original trilogy returned to reprise their roles and co-star alongside Daisy Ridley , John Boyega , Adam Driver , and Oscar Isaac .   Unlike the previous two trilogies , whose films were released approximately three years apart , the sequel films are planned to be released around two years apart . Star Wars : The Last Jedi is set for release on December 15 , 2017 , with Rian Johnson as screenwriter and director . Episode IX will be directed by Colin Trevorrow and written by Trevorrow and Derek Connolly , and is scheduled to be released on May 24 , 2019 .