Episode 8 has a new release date: December 15, 2017.
The film was reportedly going through some last-minute script revisions, but I imagine the box-office performance of the current installment over the Christmas break was the real motivator for the change.
Here is the article that appeared in Variety about this:
“Star Wars” fans will have to wait a little longer for “Episode VIII,” with
Disney moving the release date from May 26, 2017, to Dec. 15, 2017.
The studio also shifted the date for the release of “
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” to May 26, 2017, previously set for July 7, 2017.
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” continues to smash box office records since its release on Dec. 18. It’s currently the
highest-grossing movie in U.S. history, and is also the third highest-grossing movie worldwide, with its current global cume standing at $1.88 billion.
“Episode VIII” is currently in pre-production and will begin principal photography in London next month. Rian Johnson is taking the reins from J.J. Abrams, who helmed “The Force Awakens,” to write and direct the upcoming sequel.
Kathleen Kennedy and Ram Bergman will produce “Episode VIII.” Abrams, Tom Karnowski and Jason McGatlin will exec produce. Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Oscar Isaac, who were all introduced in “The Force Awakens,” will return to star.
The “Star Wars” release date shift isn’t great news for Warner Bros., which is releasing Steven Spielberg’s “Ready Player One” on Dec. 15, 2017, as well."
