With a December 2015 release date on the not-too-distant horizon, Star Wars: Episode VII surely will begin generating some actual news soon. For now, however, there's some other big Star Wars movie news to chew on: A Star Wars Rebels film will arrive this summer on the Disney Channel, followed by a series of shorts.

Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed as much in a letter to shareholders on Tuesday, discovered by Jedi News. The relevant Star Wars details read as follows:

It’s hard to believe it’s already been a year since we acquired the extraordinary Star Wars franchise, but we’re well on our way to expanding that epic saga to thrill fans and introduce its iconic characters to a new generation with fantastic new storylines. After months of public speculation and anticipation, we announced the official release date for the next feature film, Star Wars: Episode VII, will be December 18, 2015. So far we’ve kept the details to ourselves, but we’re thrilled with the story and committed to making an incredible movie, and we should be releasing more information as production moves forward in the coming year.

As with Marvel, the rich universe of Star Wars has tremendous creative potential for the entire company. While the world eagerly awaits Episode VII to open in theaters, we’re introducing Star Wars Rebels to television audiences this summer with a movie and a series of shorts on Disney Channel, followed by a continuing series on Disney XD. Our success in building a robust pipeline of original Star Wars content for various platforms will be an integral part of our long-term strategy to leverage the franchise across a variety of our businesses, from theme parks to consumer products.

Star Wars Rebels is set about 14 years after the events of Revenge of the Sith, at “a time where the Empire is securing its grip on the galaxy and hunting down the last of the Jedi Knights as a fledgling rebellion against the Empire is taking shape.” The regular series is set to air this fall on Disney XD.

(via Slash Film)