Disney and Lucasfilm have officially announced that Star Wars Episode VII will hit theaters on Dec. 18, 2015.
Ever since the announcement last Oct. that Disney was purchasing Lucasfilm, we’ve been hearing 2015 would be the year that the seventh Star Wars film would finally hit theaters. While many had assumed that May would be the target month for release as that is where the other six films had landed, Disney already has a powerhouse film locked into that month in the form of The Avengers: Age of Ultron. It is certainly never a good idea to cannibalize your own sales, so with that in mind it appears Star Wars will shuffle off to Dec. which is where films such as The Hobbit trilogy have been finding success as of late.
Alan Horn, chairman of The Walt Disney Studios said of the announcement today, “We’re very excited to share the official 2015 release date for Star Wars: Episode VII, where it will not only anchor the popular holiday filmgoing season but also ensure our extraordinary filmmaking team has the time needed to deliver a sensational picture.”
With the proximity to the end of the year, and some rumors floating around that some of the people working on the film are finding the schedule too tight, don’t be surprised if we see this slip into 2016.