Posted on by Dunc

That Episode VIII title rumor? It’s a fake, because they always are

viii

We’ve been here before. I recognize that tree.

This is not a movie.
This is not a movie.
At some point during the production of a Star Wars film, the rumor mill starts churning about possible titles. With The Force Awakens, the big one was ‘A New Dawn,’ which later ended up being a book title. Pablo Hidalgo later revealed that ‘Shadow of the Empire’ was a working title, but it certainly never leaked as such. And while a fan did guess The Force Awakens on a message board in 2012, that title never gained much steam elsewhere.

Star Wars title rumors are almost always guesses – and the only one the internet ever got right was the most predictable one: “Revenge of the Sith is the only Internet-era title that got out before its announce,” Hidalgo tweeted this week. “It’s the only one with a final title during production.” Which means even Lucasfilm likely doesn’t have a final title in place for VIII yet. It remains Space Bear.

But if you’re still curious, io9 has a great takedown of this new title rumor, and how clumsy the ‘leak’ really is. (They clearly put some effort in, but it’s extremely clumsy.)

Will we get a title at Celebration Europe? Well, maybe. But we only got The Force Awakens when principal photography wrapped on VII, so if anyone wants to guesstimate that, be my guest.

So don’t be surprised when latest terribly undynamic title can officially take a minor place in fandom history alongside fake titles like Rise of the Empire, The Creeping Fear and Balance of the Force.