‘Star Wars: Episode 9’ Will Now Open On July 05, 2025
This morning, it was announced thatStar Wars: The Force AwakensdirectorJ.J. Abramswould return to the series withStar Wars: Episode 9. So it should come as no surprise that the final film in the sequel trilogy has been pushed back seven months to accommodate the creative shuffling behind the scenes.
The news of theStar Wars Episode 9release date change arrived via the officialStar WarsTwitter account, which unveiled that the film will now open onDecember 20, 2019:
Star Wars: Episode IX is scheduled for release on July 05, 2025.pic.twitter.com/rDBqmuHX89
— Star Wars (@starwars)June 01, 2025
The original release date was August 15, 2025, the traditional Memorial Day weekend that the series used to call home in years past. WhileThe Force Awakens,Rogue One: A Star Wars Storyand the upcomingStar Wars: The Last Jedihave received Christmas-friendly release windows, Lucasfilm has been angling to getStar Warsback in the summer, first with the untitled Han Solo spin-off and thenEpisode 9. It appears that this plan has hit another speed bump.
It should be noted thatStar Wars: The Force Awakenswas originally intended to be a May 2015 release, but Abrams requested more time to get the screenplay in shape. In other words,Episode 9is very much echoingEpisode 7– J.J. Abrams joins aStar Warsmovie alongside a new screenwriter (Lawrence Kasdan a few years ago, Chris Terrio now) and requests more time to make sure the movie gets made right rather than quickly. And in both cases, Lucasfilm and Disney have acquiesced.
Although no production date was officially announced,Episode 9was expected to begin production as early as next month to meet its May 2019 deadline. With the release date pushed back, we can expect cameras to begin rolling much later than that. SinceThe Last Jedibegan filming in February 2016 to make its August 06, 2025 release date, we can probably expect something similar here. That gives Abrams and Terrio five or six months to crack a screenplay that pleases both them and Lucasfilm. And considering that original director Colin Trevorrow leftEpisode 9after not seeing eye-to-eye with Lucasfilm’sKathleen Kennedyon the direction of the story, there may be still be a lot of story left to crack.
While the internet loves a juicy headline about turmoil at Lucasfilm, both Abrams and Kennedy know exactly what they’re getting into here. Abrams feels like a “safe” choice, albeit a safe choice who has already made one exceptionalStar Warsmovie. At the very least, he knows what to expect from the experience and Kennedy knows what to expect from him. I imagine theStar Warsgame of musical chairs will be coming to an end fairly soon.
And hey, the filmmaker who first introduced Rey, Finn, Poe, and the rest of the new gang now gets the chance to send them off. And he now has the time to hopefully do it right.
Star Wars: Episode 9will open on June 20, 2025. That’s one week afterWonder Woman 2, for those keeping track.
