You knew this was going to happen, and, like the destiny for various characters in that galaxy far, far away, so it has come to pass: with J.J. Abrams aboard to write and direct Star Wars: Episode IX, the film's release date has been shifted back to 20 December 2019.
The man who made The Force Awakens and who helped to launch Star Wars back into the world clearly believes he needs that extra time to start from scratch on the script (with Chris Terrio) and Lucasfilm agrees. It's hardly a shock that all involved would want to chance to finesse this one; like The Force Awakens, there is a lot riding on wrapping up the current trilogy.
Star Wars shifting about the schedules has of course put the Wampa among the pigeons, with other studios likely to make adjustments down the line so as to avoid the behemoth. Right in the movie's sights at the moment is the Wonder Woman sequel, which, even with its own first movie's success, might not want to tackle the coming threat.
And the new date for Episode IX was just one of the various release slots announced or confirmed by Disney, with Guy Ritchie's live-action Aladdin landing on 24 May 2019 (replacing the Star Wars entry), Marc Forster's Christopher Robin movie expected in August 2018, Ken Branagh's adaptation of Artemis Fowl scheduled for August 2019 and the Santa Claus daughter pic, now known as Nicole, aiming for 8 November 2019. Less lucky is comedy Magic Camp, which had been set for an April 2018 release but is now without a date.