I’m, of course, talking about Star Wars Episode VIII - The Last Jedi. And if you see 2015’s The Force Awakens as the ‘New Hope’ of the reawakened franchise (just don’t mention the prequels!) then this is definitely going down the darker path of Empire Strikes Back. Just from the trailer, you can see that this will be an intense and emotional ride as our heroine Rey has to deal with her new Jedi power under the mentorship of Luke Skywalker as their foes, The First Order, gather their forces in retaliation for the events of The Phantom Menace. 
There was a lot of criticism about the ‘Menace’ that it was too much of a retread of A New Hope, (not something I agree with personally) but all indications are that the new film will be going off in a wholly new direction. New characters, spectacular landscapes and some great tales of derring do. One of the things I love about the Star Wars movies are the veils of secrecy that shroud every production meaning that until you actually get your bum in that seat you really don’t know what to expect. And the trailer is just enigmatic enough to leave you guessing. You don’t even know who The Last Jedi is referring to. Is it Luke himself, is it Rey or is it some completely random bloke called Derek who works in Tesco Metro in Sidcup (that last one is pretty unlikely but you never know!) One thing that is particularly poignant is that it is Carrie Fisher’s last film as Princess Leia after the actress’s untimely death last year. Disney have just announced that there will be a further nine films after this current trilogy finishes. A whole new story with wholly new characters. So we’re going to be seeing a whole lot of this universe over the coming decade or so and I for one am pretty glad of it. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0CbN8sfihY[/embed]
