In Pictures: Star Wars fans celebrate in Japan as new film announced

Fans react to the opening act during the Star Wars Celebration (Hiro Komae/AP)

The Force was with many Star Wars fan in Japan at an event where Lucasfilm announced that the next instalment in the franchise will hit theatres in May 2027.

Appearing on stage before a lightsaber-waving crowd at Makuhari Messe centre outside Tokyo, Ryan Gosling showed a photo of his childhood bedsheets, plastered with illustrations from the space epic created by George Lucas.

“I guess I was dreaming about Star Wars, even before I saw the film,” Gosling said.

A Star Wars supporter poses for a photo during a fan convention (Hiro Komae/AP)

Only the title was shown on a giant screen, although that was enough for the crowd to burst into cheers.

Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni and film producer Kathleen Kennedy (Hiro Komae/AP)

The event, called Star Wars Celebration, which runs through Sunday, is full of Star Wars-themed merchandise including T-shirts, toys, books, manga comics, AC chargers, cellphone covers, autographs, posters and more.

A Star Wars fan dressed as Darth Vader (Hiro Komae/AP)