If you're a true "Star Wars" fan, you've been counting down the days until "The Last Jedi" comes out since way before the film even had an official title and was just "Episode VIII," and Star Wars Day (May 4) is just another excuse to feel the anticipation and speculate.
We knew some things about the "Force Awakens" follow-up based on quotes from the actors and director Rian Johnson ("Looper"), but we couldn't really start theorizing too much until we knew the title and got a look at footage earlier this year.
When we got the trailer in April, it brought up so many questions. And since we have too little patience to wait until December to figure it all out, below is everything we know so far about the movie (which comes out December 15, 2017), from the mouths of its stars and director, plus the first trailer.
Here's everything you need to know about "Star Wars: The Last Jedi":
Warning: Spoilers ahead.
Not familiar with Rian Johnson? He wrote and directed the hit original sci-fi movie "Looper."
Though he's only made three feature films going into "The Last Jedi," those include stunning works like the modern-day film noir "Brick" and sci-fi mobster movie "Looper," which have shown he's likely ready for the largest stage in filmmaking.
Johnson also directed some of the most memorable "Breaking Bad" episodes, including "Fly" and "Ozymandias" (arguably the greatest episode of the series).
Looking to take a deeper dive? Here's more about Johnson you need to know.
Johnson spent six weeks at the Lucasfilm headquarters, Skywalker Ranch, figuring out the "Episode VIII" story.
At Star Wars Celebration 2016, Johnson revealed that while writing the script for "Last Jedi," he spent six weeks at Skywalker Ranch. But he wasn't just taking inspiration from the grounds that "Star Wars" creator George Lucas walks. He also had an eye on "The Force Awakens."
"We would watch dailies come in from 'VII,'" Johnson told the Celebration crowd. "It was probably really healthy creating the story based on our reactions to the footage rather than the cultural reactions. It was a unique experience."
The movie will start right where "The Force Awakens" ended.
Before principal photography began in London, Johnson and his crew took actors Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) and Daisy Ridley (Rey) to Skellig Michael, the island where the final scene of "The Force Awakens" was shot, to film an extension of the scene.
That will be the opening of the film, according to Johnson.
"I don't want to skip ahead [after] that last moment of 'Episode VII.' I want to see what happens next,"Johnson said.
This has sparked an interesting conversation among fans. Will there be an opening crawl in "The Last Jedi"? There are typically months to years between "Star Wars" episodes, so the crawl brings the audience up to speed. Johnson did not say whether there will be a crawl in the new movie.
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