Disney reveals ‘The Last Jedi’ as title of newest ‘Star Wars’ film

Last we saw Luke Skywalker, young Rey had finally found him living as a recluse on Ahch-To at the end of 2015’s “The Force Awakens.” Now, perhaps, will he stand as the last Jedi?

Disney announced Monday that the title of its next main-story film in the franchise will be “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” landing Dec. 15. The film is written and directed by Rian Johnson, who told USA Today this month that Luke will be an “emotional entry point” for the film.

Whether “the last Jedi” is literally meant to refer to Luke or perhaps Rey (Daisy Ridley), the title certainly signals that Episode VIII will center on family ties and lineage.

At the end of “Force Awakens,” Rey is handing Luke’s old lightsaber back to him on Ahch-To, the site of the first Jedi temple. Because Episode VIII picks up right where “Force” left off, according to the filmmakers, our sense is strong that Luke himself will be training the “last” Jedi.

In an interview Monday with the Associated Press while at the Sundance Film Festival, Mark Hamill said he liked that the title was “straightforward” and “minimalist.”

“They told us that when we were making the movie and I said don’t tell me these things. I talk in my sleep,” said Hamill. “They have us so jacked up with paranoia over leaks.”

And unlike “Force Awakens,” Hamill’s Luke should see plenty of screen time in the new film.

Upon Carrie Fisher’s death last month, the filmmakers said that the actress had already shot her scenes as General/Princess Leia Organa, Luke’s sister.