'Star Wars: Episode VIII' has been delayed by seven months.
Star Wars
Disney has announced the release date for the sci-fi sequel has been moved from May 26, 2017 to December 15 of the same year.
The decision to delay the release of the film is so the makers can match the success and quality of 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'.
A statement posted on the official 'Star Wars' website on Wednesday (20.01.16) read: "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."
Filming on 'Star Wars: Episode VIII' has started with nearly all of the main cast from the previous film returning in their roles.
Mark Hamill's character Luke Skywalker is set to have a prominent role in the sequel, while Daisy Ridley is returning as Rey, John Boyega as Finn, 'Game of Thrones' star Gwendoline Christie as Captain Phasma and Adam Driver will be donning his black mask and hood again as villain Kylo Ren.
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