Bad news for Star Wars fans everywhere, you’re going to have to wait a bit longer to see the next installment of the epic space opera.
Empire report Lucasfilm have decided to shift the release date of Star Wars: Episode VIII from May 2017 until December 15 that year.
No official reason has been given for the bump but it’s speculated the film’s been a victim of its own success. Star Wars: The Force Awakens has taken $1.87 billion (£1.32 billion) worldwide so Disney may have shifted the release date to keep that winning formula.
Others have speculated Episode VIII is undergoing significant rewrites, with writer and director Rian Johnson allegedly changing the focus to the new characters Rey, Finn and Poe Dameron. This move could be to accommodate these creative changes.
Interestingly the change of release will put Episode VIII up against Avatar 2 , which is leading to rumours that the long teased sequel to James Cameron’s original Avatar may not be finished in time for its release date.
If Avatar 2 is finished in time though we can expect a box-office bloodbath as the two titanic franchises go head to head and test whether audiences would rather invest in a new franchise or stick to something beloved and nostalgic.
Cinema lovers afraid of missing out this year shouldn’t worry though, Disney have already filled the films vacant release spot with… Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales , which will take over the May 26, 2017 spot instead. Joy.
Star Wars fans still have Rogue One: A Star Wars Story to look forward to, which is set for release on December 16 this year, and Disney plan a Star Wars film every year from now until the sun swallows the Earth – or they stop earning money, whichever comes first…
More of a concept than a journalist, Tom Percival was forged in the bowels of Salford University from which he emerged grasping a Masters in journalism.
Since then his rise has been described by himself as ‘meteoric’ rising to the esteemed rank of Social Editor at UNILAD as well as working at the BBC, Manchester Evening News, and ITV.
He credits his success to three core techniques, name repetition, personality mirroring, and never breaking off a handshake.