Star Wars: Episode 8 release date delayed until December 2017
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
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.