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The hotly-anticipated trailer for Star Wars: Episode VIII might land in spring 2017, according to Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy Lucasfilm Ltd

Rogue One may have just been released in cinemas but eager Star Wars fans are already looking forward to future instalments in the franchise such as the upcoming spin-off surrounding Han Solo and of course, Star Wars: Episode VIII. Fortunately, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has offered up some updates on where each of the projects are in terms of both production and promotion.

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Considering the eighth movie is set to come out in December 2017, cinema-goers are getting antsy to see a trailer.

According to Kennedy, it's coming "pretty soon," following the conscious decision by the studio not to attach it to Rogue One so as not to overshadow the new film.

Talking to BBC journalist Lizo Mzmiba, she revealed: "We're giving this [Rogue One] a little breathing room. Probably heading into spring, you'll start to see things."

It seems like a wise move from Lucasfilm and Disney. With no Jedi, no opening crawl, no theme music and new characters, audiences may not feel as connected to Rogue One initially, so being allowed to get to grips with all its differences seems essential.

Orlando fan event Star Wars Celebration kicks off in mid-April so Kennedy might even be hinting that the first look trailer will debut during the convention... The fact that the dates correspond with her comments may just be coincidence however.

Mzmiba also asked how far along the studio is with the standalone Han Solo outing, to which Kennedy candidly replied: "We're actually very close, we're going to start shooting in February."

Game Of Thrones' Emilia Clarke, Atlanta star Donald Glover and Hail! Caesar's Alden Ehrenreich – who is set to take over from Harrison Ford as the titular character – are the only actors locked into the movie so far. The Lego Movie's Phil Lord and Christopher Miller are signed on as directors, working with a script from Lawrence Kasdan and his son, Jon. The hotly-anticipated anthology film is scheduled to reach big screens in the US on 25 May 2018.

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