CHIBA, Japan (AP) 鈥 The Force was with many Japanese, as well as visitors from abroad, at a 鈥淪tar Wars鈥 event on Friday where Lucasfilm announced that the next installation in the franchise will hit theaters in May 2027 starring Ryan Gosling.
Appearing on stage before a lightsaber-waving crowd at Makuhari Messe center outside Tokyo, Gosling showed a photo of his childhood bedsheets, plastered with illustrations from the space epic created by .
鈥淚 guess I was dreaming about 鈥 鈥 even before I saw the film,鈥 Gosling said.
, who will direct the movie, told the crowd that 鈥淪tar Wars: Starfighter鈥 will not be a prequel or a sequel, but a new standalone adventure with new characters set several years after 鈥淓pisode Nine.鈥 Filming starts later this year, he said.
Levy, who also directed the 2006 film 鈥淭he Pink Panther鈥 and the recent Netflix series 鈥淪tranger Things,鈥 said little else, noting: 鈥淚 can鈥檛 say much about it because I understand the rules.鈥
Only the title was shown on a giant screen, although that was enough for the crowd to burst into cheers.
The event, called Star Wars Celebration, which runs through Sunday, is full of "Star Wars"-themed merchandise including T-shirts, toys, books, manga comics, AC chargers, cellphone covers, autographs, posters and more.
The Lego booth featured a man wearing the ominous black mask and cloak of Darth Vader, made out of Legos. The deep-breathing villain also appeared as traditional Japanese lacquerware decorating earphones in a limited edition of 10, each selling for 990,000 yen ($7,000). Darth Vader T-shirts were more affordable at 8,000 yen ($56).
鈥淚t makes me so happy to think everyone here loves 鈥楽tar Wars,鈥欌 said Yoshiki Takahashi, 26, who was holding a remote-controlled R2-D2 miniature robot.
鈥淚 love the directing, the sound of the gun and the lightsaber, but above all the story, with great fight scenes and, of course, human drama,鈥 he added.
Another Japanese man, who said he goes only by Hiro, was dressed as the 鈥淪tar Wars鈥 character , in a detailed costume he made himself, complete with a plastic sword and armor.
Also present were 鈥淪tar Wars鈥 fans from around the world, including a robed Raul Herrera, a computer science teacher from Chile, who was there with friends.
鈥淎ll of them,鈥 said Herrera, when asked which 鈥楽tar Wars鈥 films he鈥檇 seen. 鈥淭he sense of commitment of the characters, I really like it.鈥
With offshoot stories spanning generations and literally the cosmos, 鈥淪tar Wars鈥 is one of the highest-grossing franchises of all time since its 1977 debut, starring Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker.
It may be natural that 鈥淪tar Wars鈥 appeals to Japanese: Its story about a samurai-like hero who befriends various characters along his journey echoes the nationsa国际传媒 fables, as well as legendary .
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