Lucasfilm has announced the director and screenwriter for the first stand-alone Star Wars film.  Gareth Edwards, director of the recently released hit Godzilla (see "'Godzilla' Stomps Box Office Into Submission"), has been signed to direct, and Gary Whitta, who wrote Book of Eli and was a writer on the Telltale Games The Walking Dead game, has been announced as screenwriter. 

The stand-alone films will alternate with the new trilogy, which kicks off with Star Wars:  Episode VII in 2015 (see "'Star Wars: Episode VII' Cast Announced").  They’ll be origins films (see "'Star Wars' Origins Films"), but none of the characters have been announced. 

The first stand-alone film will be released December 16, 2016.