"The move follows the extraordinary success of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which was the first 'Star Wars' movie to premiere outside the traditional summer blockbuster window and smashed numerous records," the studios said in a statement on the website www.starwars.com.
The seventh episode in the series, "The Force Awakens," quickly surpassed the $760.5 million record set in 2009 by Avatar to become the top-grossing film ever in the North American market.
The film has now grossed $858.9 million in North America and $1.865 billion worldwide.
(Also see: The Force Awakens Breaks Avatar's North America Box Office Record)
The next episode will be directed by Rian Johnson, who helmed the 2012 sci-fi thriller Looper, starring Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Emily Blunt.
It will feature the stars of The Force Awakens: Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Daisy Ridley and John Boyega.
The movie is in pre-production, with filming set to begin next month in London, the studios said.
Disney and Lucasfilm plan to release a further instalment, Episode 9 of the saga, on May 24, 2019.
A spin-off, titled "Rogue One," which will be set shortly before the events portrayed in the original 1977 "Star Wars" film, is set to reach screens on December 16.
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