The Force Re-Awakens Later Than Expected.

Disney and Lucasfilm announced last Wednesday that Episode VIII of the famed and beloved Star Wars franchise will be arriving on December 15, 2017– significantly later than the planned Summer 2017 release. No reason was given for the delay, but we can only hope that the extra few months will allow the next installment to be even that much better. The film is currently in preproduction and will begin principal photography next month in London. This will only be the second time in the franchise's history that a main-series movie premieres outside of the summer-blockbuster window. Whether or not The Force Awakens was your favorite movie in the franchise, the numbers are hard to argue with. Episode VII broke numerous box office records and surpassed James Cameron's Avatar as the top grossing film of all time in just 20 days. With that many Star Wars fans– both old and new– invested in the new trilogy, Episode VIII is predicted to be a smashing success as well. The next installment will follow our new protagonists Rey, Finn, and Poe (as well as some old friends) in their fight against the remnants of the Galactic Empire in the form of the First Order. If Episode VIII is anything like VII, we can expect to see the film follow a familiar Star Wars blueprint– which means we as fans are subject to more excitement, heartbreak, and nostalgia than we can shake a Bothan stun stick at. In the meantime, we can all look forward to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which is scheduled for release December 16^th of this year.