Shortly after the announcement that J.J. Abrams will write and direct Stars Wars: Episode IX, LucasFilms posted on twitter that the film would not be released until Dec. 20, 2019. The new release date is 7 months after the originally scheduled release date of May 24.
Star Wars: Episode IX is presumably pushed back because of the changes in writer and director. Colin Trevorrow, who was fired from the project, wrote (alongside Derek Connolly with rewrites from Jack Thorne) the script to the ninth feature in the main series. With the arrival of Abrams, the filmmaker will need additional time to write an entirely new screenplay with Chris Terrio (co-writer of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and the upcoming Justice League), or rewrite the script turned in by Trevorrow, Connolly, and Thorne.
Star Wars: Episode IX previously experienced production delays due to the sudden passing of Carrie Fisher. It remains to be seen how she’ll factor in to Episode VIII as well.
With the new release date, Star Wars: Episode IX will go up against fierce competition: Wonder Woman 2. Both boast strong female leads (Daisy Ridley and Gal Gadot) and are legacy franchises (Wonder Woman first appeared in 1941 while Star Wars: A New Hope celebrates its 40th anniversary this year). However, at the end of the day, fans will ultimately win when Wonder Woman and Rey go head-to-head on Dec. 20, 2019.
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