Last night, the 43rd Annual Saturn Awards were held and Star Wars took top honors in the following categories:

Best Science Fiction Film: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Best Direction in Film: Gareth Edwards (Rogue One)
Best Film Visual / Special Effects: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Best Animated Series or Film on Television: Star Wars Rebels

The president of Lucasfilm will be joined by the director of Rogue One and special guests for an opening day event at the massive fan gathering this July.

“Secret mission? What plans? What are you talking about?”

Find out, when Gareth Edwards – director of the upcoming Rogue One: A Star Wars Story — joins Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and some special guests for a Rogue One panel at Celebration Europe on July 15^th for what is sure to be a can’t-miss event! Visit starwarscelebration.com for tickets, and check back closer to the show for queuing and wristband details.

Lucasfilm has issued a press release announcing that Gareth Edwards and Gary Whitta have been tapped to direct and write the first in a series of Star Wars stand-alone films beginning in 2016. Click on through for the full announcement.

In addition to the episodes of a new Star Wars trilogy, Lucasfilm and Disney have begun development on multiple stand-alone movies that will offer new stories beyond the core Saga. Gareth Edwards will direct the first stand-alone film, with a screenplay by Gary Whitta. The film is due out December 16, 2016.

Gareth Edwards blazed into the filmmaking forefront with his acclaimed work on Monsters, a film he wrote, directed and served on as cinematographer and visual effects artist. The skill and vision readily apparent in Monsters earned him the high-profile spot directing this year’s smash hit Godzilla.

“Ever since I saw Star Wars I knew exactly what I wanted to do for the rest of my life – join the Rebel Alliance! I could not be more excited & honored to go on this mission with Lucasfilm,” said Edwards.

Gary Whitta’s screenwriting credits include 2010’s The Book of Eli starring Denzel Washington. He is also well known as a journalist and editor in the video game industry, as well as part of the BAFTA award-winning team on Telltale Games’ adaptation of The Walking Dead.

Whitta states, “From the moment I first saw the original movie as a wide-eyed kid, Star Wars has been the single most profound inspiration to my imagination and to my career as a writer. It is deeply special to me, so to be given the opportunity to contribute to its ongoing legacy, especially in collaboration with a film-maker as talented as Gareth, is literally a dream come true. I’m still pinching myself.”