'Star Wars: Episode VIII' release date pushed back to December 2017

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Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Adam Driver as Kylo Ren in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." It was announced on Wednesday that the release date for "Star Wars: Episode VIII" would be pushed back to Dec. 15, 2017.
creativeContent-Star Wars Movies/Facebook

Sci-fi movie fans will have to wait a little longer until they're able to see the sequel to Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Originally slated for summer 2017, it was announced on Tuesday that the release date for Star Wars: Episode VIII would be pushed back to Dec. 15, 2017 instead of its originally May 26, 2017 release date, according to ABC News. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales will now be released in May 2017 instead.

Star Wars: Episode VIII will now hit theaters on Dec. 15, 2017, just before Christmas. Directed by Rian Johnson, the film will start principal photography next month in London, according to StarWars.com. The film will continue the story of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which went on to become one of the highest-grossing films in movie history.

Social media users reacted with humorous gifs after hearing of the new release date.

Others, though, were supportive of the film's new release date.

Don't fret over the delay, Star Wars fans, as the highly anticipated Rogue One is still slated to be released this year on Dec. 16. Directed by Gareth Edwards and starring Felicity Jones, the movie will be the first stand-alone film in the Star Wars universe.

Stars walk the red carpet for Star Wars world premiere

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Mellody Hobson, left, and George Lucas arrive at the world premiere of 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' at the TCL Chinese Theatre on Monday, Dec. 14, 2015, in Los Angeles.
Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision

The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of Lucasfilm and this station.