In Pictures: Star Wars fans celebrate in Japan as new film announced

The Force was with many Star Wars fan in Japan at an event where Lucasfilm announced that the next instalment in the franchise will hit theatres in May 2027.

Appearing on stage before a lightsaber-waving crowd at Makuhari Messe centre outside Tokyo, Ryan Gosling showed a photo of his childhood bedsheets, plastered with illustrations from the space epic created by George Lucas.

“I guess I was dreaming about Star Wars, even before I saw the film,” Gosling said.

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.