The Force has awakened, but it needs a little more time to get going.

Disney and Lucasfilm announced they are pushing back the release date for "Star Wars: Episode VIII" from May 26, 2017 to December 17, 2017. There was no official reason given for the seven-month delay, but there have been rumors that director/writer Rian Johnson has been tweaking the script.

On the Meet the Movie Press podcast, The Wrap writer Jeff Sneider said that Johnson was working to beef up the roles of Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega), and Poe (Oscar Isaac) after the positive reception the characters received from "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."

Several new female roles — for which names like Tatiana Maslany, Gina Rodriguez, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw have been mentioned — would be minimized.

As a consequence of the "Star Wars" change, Disney will move up "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" from July to the May 26, 2017 date.