Sequel trilogy The " Star Wars " sequel trilogy is a film trilogy that begins approximately thirty years after the ending of and focuses around a conflict between the First Order , a military state and successor to the Galactic Empire , and the Resistance , a military group formed to oppose the First Order . The trilogy is comprised of The films are produced by Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy , with Bad Robot Productions having also helped produce " The Force Awakens " . The trilogy features the return of classic " Star Wars " characters Luke Skywalker , Leia Organa , Han Solo , Chewbacca , R2 - D2 , and C - 3PO , as well as a host of new characters , primarily focusing on the Force - sensitive scavenger Rey , the deserter First Order stormtrooper Finn and Kylo Ren , the son of Leia Organa and Han Solo who is the master of the Knights of Ren and who had fallen into the dark side of the force . Rumors of a sequel trilogy had been talked about for decades , ever since George Lucas , the creator of " Star Wars " , stated that he had plans for films that would take place after the original " Star Wars " trilogy . As the canon saga developed , however , Lucas denied that a sequel trilogy would ever be made , stating that " Star Wars " was the story of Anakin Skywalker and that his story ended in " Return of the Jedi " . The development of the sequel trilogy was made official on October 30 , 2012 , when The Walt Disney Company announced that it was acquiring Lucasfilm from Lucas and that they would be producing new " Star Wars " films beginning in 2015 . Although Lucas has retired , he continues to serve as a creative consultant on the films . Development . Early plans and abandonment . Ideas for a " Star Wars " sequel trilogy were in place as early as 1976 , during the filming of , the first produced film in the franchise , known at the time simply as " Star Wars " . Mark Hamill , who starred as Luke Skywalker in the film , recounted that George Lucas , the director of " A New Hope " , asked if Hamill would be interested in appearing in " Star Wars " : Episode IX in 2011 , when Lucas assumed such a film would be made . According to Lucas , Skywalker would " be like Obi - Wan Kenobi handing the lightsaber down to the next generation . " " TIME " magazine also reported in 1978 , after the success of " A New Hope " , that Lucas would produce a sequel to " A New Hope " and then ten additional films , for a total of four " Star Wars " trilogies . These early ideas did not reflect the final version of the saga , however ; according to Jonathan W . Rinzler , " the original trilogy occupied Episodes VI , VII , and VIII ; a Clone Wars trilogy took up Episodes II , III , and IV , while Episode I was a ' prelude , ' Episodes IX through XI were simply left blank – and Episode XII was the ' conclusion . As the saga developed after the success of " A New Hope " , these plans began to change . Lucas stated in 1979 that there would be three trilogies , plans he continued to talk about into the 1980s . Lucas described the potential sequels as being " what happens to Luke " after the original trilogy , and that it would be " much more ethereal " and " ambitious . " By the time Lucas produced , the final film of the original trilogy , he no longer had plans to produce a sequel trilogy , stating that the " next trilogy will be someone else ' s vision . " Several plot points had been discussed for the sequel trilogy that were eventually condensed into " Return of the Jedi " . According to Gary Kurtz , the producer of " A New Hope " and , the creative team had discussed the sequels showing Skywalker ' s new life with the Jedi , finding his long - lost sister — at the time , Leia Organa was not Skywalker ' s sister — and a final confrontation with the Emperor . As the years progressed , and the saga continued to evolve to include a prequel trilogy and the and subsequent , it appeared that Lucas had finally abandoned plans for the sequel trilogy . In 2008 , Lucas told " The LA Times " that there would not be a story beyond " Return of the Jedi " because " the movies were the story of Anakin Skywalker and Luke Skywalker , and when Luke saves the galaxy and redeems his father , that ' s where that story ends . " He also cited the Expanded Universe — now known as the non - canon " Star Wars Legends " — as the stories that , despite his lack of involvement in them , continued the saga after " Return of the Jedi " . In 2012 , Lucas also cited the critical reaction from some " Star Wars " fans towards the prequel trilogy as another reason he did not intend to create the sequel trilogy . Disney and the sequel trilogy . In 2011 , Robert Iger , chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Company , began discussing with Lucas the possibility of Disney acquiring Lucasfilm . Lucas was not yet ready to pursue the possibility of retirement or selling the company , but he had considered it and told Iger he would talk to him at the right time — which was important to Iger , who had already acquired Pixar and Marvel and now wanted to add " Star Wars " into the Disney organization . Lucas began putting plans in place for his transition out of the company , including the hiring of Kathleen Kennedy as his successor . To make a potential acquisition deal more valuable , Lucasfilm began the early development of Episodes VII , VIII , and IX , and hired writer Michael Arndt to begin working on " The Force Awakens " . Lawrence Kasdan , who wrote " The Empire Strikes Back " and " Return of the Jedi " , was brought on as a consultant , while Lucas spoke to Hamill , Harrison Ford , and Carrie Fisher about potentially reprising their roles as Luke Skywalker , Han Solo , and Princess Leia . Lucas finally contacted Iger in June 2012 , at which point the two companies entered into five months of acquisition negotiations . Lucas worked to ensure that key Lucasfilm personnel would be able to stay on in order to market the new " Star Wars " films , though Iger stressed that Disney would have final say over future movies . Lucas agreed , despite his reservations about losing control , and initially did not turn over his outlines for the sequel trilogy . He finally presented the stories once some of his concerns were assuaged , and Disney agreed that the stories had potential . The acquisition was announced on October 30 , 2012 . In addition to the acquisition , Disney announced that it would be producing the sequel trilogy , that Episode VII would be executive produced by Kennedy and released in 2015 , and that Lucas would serve as a creative consultant on the films . During a concert with the Young Musician ' s Foundation Debut Orchestra on February 9 , 2013 , composer John Williams voiced his desire to write the musical score s for all three films of the sequel trilogy . Williams was officially confirmed to return in July 2013 . " Star Wars Insider " 144 implied that he would score the entire " new " Star Wars " trilogy , " but Lucasfilm clarified that he had only been confirmed for Episode VII at the time . Around this time , it was also announced that Episode VII would be directed by J . J . Abrams , and that Arndt had exited as screenwriter and been replaced by Abrams and Kasdan . In 2014 , the release date of the film was announced as December 18 , 2015 , and production on the film commenced in May 2014 . Hamill , Ford , and Fisher were confirmed to return to their original roles , as were Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca , Anthony Daniels as C - 3PO , and Kenny Baker as R2 - D2 . New actors include John Boyega , Daisy Ridley , Adam Driver , Oscar Isaac , Andy Serkis , Domhnall Gleeson , Max von Sydow , Lupita Nyong ' o , Gwendoline Christie , Crystal Clarke , and Pip Andersen . As Episode VII began filming , Lucasfilm continued to push ahead with its plans for Episodes VIII and IX . Although not officially announced by Lucasfilm , it was revealed in June 2014 that Rian Johnson would write and direct Episode VIII , as well as write a story treatment for Episode IX . Unlike previous " Star Wars " trilogies , a series of " Anthology Series " are being released between the " saga " films — with the first of these , " " , released on December 16 , 2016 , being about a band of rebels stealing the plans for the first Death Star . Unlike main installments , these films take place across the " Star Wars " timeline and have a different tone than the main saga films , with " Rogue One " being described as a " war film . " Legacy . On April 25 , 2014 , Lucasfilm announced that the filmmakers of " The Force Awakens " and the sequel trilogy would not be required to follow the post – " Return of the Jedi " story that was developed in the " Star Wars " Expanded Universe , a decision made in order to maximize their creative freedom . The announcement cited Episodes I through VI , as well as " The Clone Wars " , as Lucas ' vision and the " immovable objects of " Star Wars " history , the characters and events to which all other tales must align , " while the Expanded Universe would no longer be considered canon . The Expanded Universe was re - branded as " Star Wars " Legends . Despite its non - canon status , past Legends stories remain in print under the new Legends banner . Some elements of the Legends stories have also been retained and used in new stories , such as the animated television series " Star Wars Rebels " . With the decision made to accommodate the story of the sequel trilogy , Lucasfilm further decided that all future " Star Wars " stories would be considered canon and would fit consistently with one another . The company formed the Lucasfilm Story Group in order to coordinate the development of " Star Wars " stories and ensure that they align with one another . Future of " Star Wars " . In a January 2016 interview to the BBC , Disney chairman Bob Iger stated that the company planned to deliver space opera installments " well beyond " and its release in 2019 , saying , “ [ t ] here will be more after that . I don ’ t know how many ; I don ’ t know how often . ” It was revealed by Bob Iger on November 9 , 2017 , during a Disney quarterly earnings call that a fourth trilogy has been confirmed and is being written and directed by " " director Rian Johnson . The trilogy is set to explore new areas in Star Wars lore unrelated to the Skywalker saga . Additionally , a live - action series is to be released on Disney ' s new online streaming service , set to launch in 2019 .