With Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and the forthcoming Star Wars: The Last Jedi each landing in December almost exactly one year apart, it seemed a lock that Star Wars: Episode IX would also see a holiday season release. However, Disney has today announced that director Colin Trevorrow’s journey to a galaxy far, far away will actually bow a full seven months earlier than anticipated on May 24th, 2019.
The franchise was already set to return to its traditional summer release schedule with the Han Solo anthology film slated for May 25th, 2018. (All the films before The Force Awakens dropped in the warmest season.) The news that Episode IX will follow suit comes just a few weeks after it was confirmed that the late Carrie Fisher won’t be appearing in the final entry of the new trilogy.
(Read: Five Awesome Reveals From Star Wars Celebration 2017)
Besides the new release date and the lack of General Organa, all that’s really known about Episode IX is that director Trevorrow wrote the screenplay alongside Derek Connolly. At least now we won’t have to wait as long to find out more.
The Hollywood Reporter notes that this isn’t the only scheduling shift Disney revealed today. They’ve also moved the planned fifth Indiana Jones film from July 19th, 2019 to July 10th, 2020, sliding Jon Favreau’s live action The Lion King remake into the original spot. The studio also dated the anticipated animated sequel Frozen 2 for November 27th, 2019; Ava DuVernay’s A Wrinkle in Time for March 9th, 2018; and Mark Waters’ family comedy Magic Camp for April 6th, 2018.
Before you let anticipation for Episode IX consume you, remind yourself that The Last Jedi is still eight months away by revisiting the teaser trailer below.
