Two Star Wars feature films within the space of six months was just too good to be true, wasn’t it? Disney and Lucasfilm have confirmed today that Rian Johnson’s Star Wars: Episode VIII has been postponed to December 15, 2017. Previously slated for May 26, 2017, the studios didn’t disclose an official reason for the delay, though we’ll be sure to keep you posted on this story as it develops.
First spotted by The Hollywood Reporter, the six-month push could be a tactical move for Disney, given that Episode VIII was once ready to open a mere two weeks after James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2., or it could simply be that Johnson and Co. require more time nurturing the story.
[zerg]According to THR, though, today’s news represents something of a reshuffling effort for the House of Mouse, which has now placed Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales in the spot once occupied by Episode VIII: May 26, 2017. That’s a prime summer slot for Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg’s new take on the legend of Jack Sparrow, though the staggering box office haul of The Force Awakens is proof if there ever was any that record-breaking releases aren’t exclusive to the summer window.
Fans will now have to wait that little while longer before seeing Rey, Finn and Poe Dameron – Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Oscar Isaac, respectively – back on the big screen once more, now that Rian Johnson’s Star Wars: Episode VIII has been pushed back to December 15, 2017. Gareth Edwards’ Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, meanwhile, is still on course to release on December 16, 2016.
