Godzilla Director Gareth Edwards Signs on to Make a Star Wars Movie for 2016

British filmmaker will helm one of the stand-alone films announced back when Lucasfilm was bought by Disney—and it already has a release date

Gareth Edwards has been gifted the keys to another alternate universe.

The Godzilla director, whose reboot of the classic monster tale has already gobbled up $216 million worldwide, has been chosen to helm one of Disney's promised Star Wars films that will stand alone from the planned trilogy that picks up where Return of the Jedi left off.

The news was posted Thursday on the official Star Wars website. Gary Whitta (The Book of Eli) is writing the screenplay.

"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 and honored to go on this mission with Lucasfilm," Edwards said in a statement.

And the as-yet untitled film already has an announced release date—Dec. 16, 2016.

Merry Christmas!

Godzilla was only Edwards' second feature directorial effort, the British visual effects specialist's feature debut having come in 2010 with the dystopian sci-fi thriller Monsters.

When Disney first bought Lucasfilm for $4 billion, it was revealed that a number of stand-alone films were being planned that would exist in the same realm but stand apart from the central Star Wars story line that "began" with Episode I—The Phantom Menace (which, of course, was released 22 years after Episode IV—A New Hope, aka Star Wars).

Meanwhile, production is underway on J.J. Abrams' addition to the canon, which reportedly has a working title of Star Wars: Episode VII—The Ancient Fear.