'Star Wars: Episode 8' Release Date Delayed Over Six Months, Now Releasing Dec. 15, 2017

Star Wars: Episode 8, the direct follow-up to Star Wars: Episode 7 The Force Awakens has been delayed from May 26, 2017 to Dec. 15, 2017, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

While the next Star Wars “Episode” is now releasing over six months later than planned, the next Star Wars movie, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is still on track for a Dec. 16, 2016 release date.

The new release date for Star Wars: Episode 8 will pit it directly against Avatar 2 , scheduled for release on Dec. 25, 2017. But Disney isn't abandoning the May 26 release date slot, instead moving Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales to that Friday.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the decision to delay the release date for Star Wars: Episode VIII comes from Disney's desire to capture the same holiday audience as Star Wars: The Force Awakens. However, rumors that the filming of Star Wars: Episode 8 has been delayed for a script rewrite could also be the cause of the release date shuffling.

Little is known about the Star Wars: The Force Awakens sequel, with director and writer Rian Johnson taking over for J.J. Abrams in telling the ongoing story of Rey, Finn, Kylo Ren and the Resistance against the First Order.