Star Wars: Episode 8 release date delayed until December 2017

The eighth instalment was set for release in May 2017 - but has been pushed back by seven months
Long wait: Fans will have to wait until December 2017 for the next instalment
Emma Powell21 January 2016
The Weekender

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The release of the next Star Wars film has been delayed until December 2017, Disney has confirmed.

Star Wars: Episode VIII was expected to be released in May 2017, but has been pushed back by seven months.

Disney did not confirm a reason for the delay, but there is speculation that the script is being rewritten.

The film will follow on from Star Wars: The Force Awakens which also had a December release last year.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens European Premiere

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The film - which saw Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford reunite - smashed box office records and fast became the biggest grossing film in US history and took $1.8billion globally.

Production of the next instalment is set to begin next month at Pinewood Studios.

But fans of the epic sci-fi franchise will not have to wait until December 2017 to get their fix.

Gareth Edwards' spin-off Rogue One: A Star Wars Story - which follows the heist of the Death Star before it can be used to enforce the Emperor's rule - is set for release on December 16.

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