In quite possibly some of the most exciting news to hit the Star Wars franchise in quite some time, acclaimed filmmaker Rian Johnson is set to both write and direct Star Wars: Episode VIII, the follow-up to J.J. Abrams’ Episode VII. The initial report came via the folks over at Deadline, who first reported that Johnson was set to also helm Episode IX, although The Wrap swooped in soon after to deliver the news he’d only be writing the script treatment for that film.

For those not in the know, Rian Johnson is an incredibly accomplished filmmaker known for his work on the fantastic independent film Brick, as well as his mainstream breakthrough Looper, starring Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He’s also directed some of the best episodes of one of the greatest television dramas of all-time, Breaking Bad, which put his visual inventiveness on full display.

While J.J. Abrams was a fairly safe choice to kick-off the latest Star Wars trilogy, Johnson couldn’t be anything further from safe. Here’s hoping he’s allowed to use his creativity to create a true work of originality, lest he suffer the same fate of dearly departed Ant-Man director Edgar Wright. It’s safe to say we’ll be finding out soon enough.

Star Wars: Episode VII is set to hit theaters December 18th, 2015 while Johnson’s follow-up doesn’t yet have a release date. In the meantime, we here at Morbidly Amusing will be sure to keep you up to date on all things Star Wars.

Source: Deadline, The Wrap