Walt Disney Studios has pushed the release date of “Star Wars: Episode VIII” from May 26, 2017 to Dec. 15 of the same year.
Director Rian Johnson takes the reigns from J.J. Abrams, who directed “Episode VII” to its throne of highest grossing film of all time after debuting in December.
“Episode VIII” is set to shoot next month in London.
The new December date for the “Star Wars” sequel sets up a showdown with Warner Bros.’ “Ready Player One,” the futuristic sci-fi tale directed by Steven Spielberg. Disney also has an untitled live-action fairy tale scheduled to open one week later.
Wednesday was a busy day for movie dating in Hollywood. Minutes after Disney announced that it was also moving “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” from its slated July 7, 2017 date, Sony Pictures shifted the release date for Marvel’s “Spider-Man” into that slot.