If you left the theater after seeing Star Wars, Episode VII: The Force Awakens and couldn’t wait to see the next installment, there’s a bit of bad news.
Disney and Lucasfilm announced Wednesday that Star Wars, Episode VIII, which was originally scheduled for release in the summer of 2017, will now be released on December 15, 2017.
The movie, which will be directed by Rian Johnson, will begin shooting next month in London, according to the press release.
No reason was given for the delay.
Episode VII, which premiered in December, has shattered box office records. The release noted that the much-anticipated film is the highest grossing domestic release of all time. Globally, the movie is the third-biggest release ever.
The full release is below:
Today, Disney and Lucasfilm announced that Star Wars: Episode VIII, originally scheduled for release in summer 2017, will now debut on December 15, 2017.
The move follows the extraordinary success of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which was the first Star Wars movie to premiere outside the traditional summer blockbuster window and smashed numerous records, including biggest domestic and global debuts of all time as well as the biggest domestic second and third weekends, en route to becoming the highest grossing domestic release of all time with over $861.3 million and the third biggest global release ever with $1,886.7 billion.
Written and directed by Rian Johnson, Star Wars: Episode VIII is currently in preproduction and will begin principal photography in London next month. Kathleen Kennedy and Ram Bergman will produce and J.J. Abrams, Jason McGatlin, and Tom Karnowski will executive produce. Stay tuned for exciting updates in the coming weeks.
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