Star Wars films have been known for their May releases; in fact, all six of the films preceding the upcoming Star Wars: Episode VII were released in the month of May. But Episode VII will separate itself from the pack by getting a December release. But with May 2015 already jam packed with films like Avengers: Age of Ultron, and May 2016 already headlined by an epic Marvel battle (Captain America 3) vs D.C. (Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice) battle, Episode VII having a December release makes a lot of sense.

Of course, that was all before Harrison Ford broke his leg, and learned that the recovery could last as long as two to six months. Then the idea of pushing the film to a May release sounded a bit more realistic, because that would allow Abrams and producer Kathleen Kennedy to flesh out the script and polish it just in time for their desired May release. However, Disney hasn’t said a word about the situation, which implies that they are sticking to the December 2015 release. This debate is reportedly so contested that it may have actually been why Abrams lost the job directing the entire trilogy. Hit the jump to learn more.

This latest rumor comes from our friends over at Latino Review. The site, which is no stranger to these kinds of reports, has other pieces of information that include Ford’s injuries have not delayed production of the film, and that Disney CEO Bob Iger will not give Kathleen Kennedy and J.J. Abrams a May 4th, 2016 release date.

If any of this is to be believed, then we have another situation on our hands that could spell trouble for a the highly anticipcated expansion of the franchise film – now owned by Disney no less. While the changing of the guard in between sequels is really nothing out of the ordinary, the fact that Rian Johnson was hired to direct Episode VIII and IX seemed pretty strange. How could Abrams, who has brought us MI III, two of the most recent Star Trek films, and Super 8, not be allowed to direct Episode VIII was a bit perplexing, and the fight over the film’s release may have been the reason why he didn’t get the job.

So if Abrams, Disney, and LucasFilm want to get ahead of this before it spirals out of control, then they need to get a handle on the situation and address these concerns. Because this is a lot of bad press that is happening over a year before the film’s release. I’d imagine that the reason why they may be staying quiet is so they can quell some of these issues at next month’s San Diego Comic-Con in front of the largest geek audience. Not only will they be able to keep fans calm, but they will also give us some tasty footage that would help us forget any of this ever happened. One can only hope.

Star Wars: Episode VII is scheduled for December 18, 2015.

[Source: LatinoReview]