Star Wars: Episode VIII director Rian Johnson contributed to new book

Bloodline, the new Star Wars book that takes place in the years before events in The Force Awakens occur, will incorporate new story ideas from Star Wars: Episode VIII director Rian Johnson it was announced today.

According to a post on the official Star Wars website, Johnson helped provide some of the context for the novel. The post goes on to say that the author, Claudia Gray, was "indebted to him for his creativity and generosity."

Bloodline, which is the sequel to Chuck Wendig's Aftermath, Senator Leia Oregana as she tries to figure out a way to deal with the imposing threat of the developing First Order. The book will see the beginning of the First Order, just a couple of decades after the Empire has fallen.

Johnson's addition to the book isn't the only notable detail either. A large portion of Bloodline will focus on how the Resistance came to be and how Leia orchestrated it. But even more importantly, the book will explore some of the more personal parts of Leia's life, including her relationship with Han Solo and how she deals with the looming shadow of her father, Darth Vader.

Bloodline is set to be released May 3, 2016 from Penguin Random House. While Star Wars: Episode VIII won't be out until Dec. 15, 2017, fans can catch the first anthology film, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Dec. 16.