Star Wars sequel trilogy in late 1980, Lucas described how the expansive scope of "Star Wars" had started with an overlong screenplay: He added that he had: In this interview, Lucas also stated that he had "titles and ten-page story outlines for each of" the nine episodes. In an interview with Gary Kurtz in the same magazine, Kurtz said: In an interview with "Starlog" magazine published in September 1981, Lucas confirmed that he had the nine-film series plotted, cautioning: Shortly after 1980's release of "Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back", Lucas had already written story treatments for episodes: "VI", and the sequel trilogy consisting
Star Wars sequel trilogy released in December 2017, with Rian Johnson as screenwriter and director, and most of the cast returning. The first two films have grossed a combined $3.4 billion worldwide and were both well-received by critics. The third and final installment, "", was to be directed by Colin Trevorrow, but he was replaced in September 2017 by Abrams, who is to co-write it with Chris Terrio. The film is scheduled to be released on December 20, 2019. According to Mark Hamill, who plays Luke Skywalker, in 1976, "Star Wars" creator George Lucas told him that he planned three "Star Wars" trilogies. Lucas