Felicity Jones to lead Star Wars spin-off movie cast

Oscar nominee Felicity Jones will lead the cast of spin-off Star Wars movie Rogue One, according to Disney boss Bob Iger.

The chairman and CEO made the big reveal during a Disney shareholder meeting in San Francisco, California on Thursday (12Mar15).

Rogue One will be the first in a series of movies that explore the characters and events beyond the Star Wars saga.

Directed by Gareth Edwards, the first actress cast is Jones, the star of The Theory of Everything.

The movie will begin shooting this summer (15) in London and is due for release in December, 2016.

Meanwhile, Iger also confirmed Rian Johnson will write and direct Star Wars: Episode VIII - the follow-up to J.J. Abrams' in-development Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Johnson's installment is scheduled to hit cinemas on 26 May, 2017 - 40 years and a day after the release of Star Wars: A New Hope in 1977.