In what is becoming an annual holiday of sorts for Star Wars fans, Force Friday is one of the most anticipated dates of the year, when Disney and LucasFilm unveil the first wave of merchandise, novels and other items for the new Star Wars movie. The Force Friday events for both 2015's Star Wars: The Force Awakens (September 4, 2015) and last year's spin-off Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (September 30, 2016), took place in the fall giving fans a few months to enjoy these items before each of the respective movies arrived in December. With Star Wars: The Last Jedi's release happening on December 15, it seems that Force Friday will happen in September once again, if a new report is to be believed.

Jedi Bibliothek's sources reveal that this year's Force Friday will happen on Friday, September 1, 2017. While LucasFilm has yet to confirm this date, the site reports that a Del Rey novel and several children's books are in fact slated for release on that date. These books will likely just represent the tip of the iceberg, with a slew of toys and other items that will be launched on this date. While it will likely be quite some time before we find out what merchandise will be available for purchase during this year's Force Friday festivities, there is one product we know about that may be involved.

Last month, a rumor surfaced that LEGO will be unveiling a new First Order TIE Bombers set during Force Friday, which is rumored to include the new TIE Fighter that the villainous Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) reportedly uses in this sequel. The TIE Fighter is reportedly quite similar in design to the ship that Kylo's great-grandfather Darth Vader uses in the original trilogy. We learned in Star Wars: The Force Awakens that Kylo essentially worships Darth Vader, with one scene from The Force Awakens featuring Kylo essentially speaking to Darth Vader's burnt mask, confidently stating that he will finish what Darth Vader started. With that being said, it wouldn't be surprising if Kylo Ren's TIE Fighter bears several similarities with Darth Vader's iconic ship.

While LucasFilm finally unveiled The Last Jedi title just a few weeks ago, it seems we may have to wait a bit longer for the first footage, which won't even be a full trailer. A report from last week claimed that Disney is holding off on releasing the sneak peek until the Star Wars Celebration festivities, which take place April 15 through April 17 in Orlando, Florida. This will reportedly be a behind-the-scenes sizzle reel which will represent the first footage seen from the movie. The source claimed that there won't be a teaser or any other footage released before this reel debuts in April. There had previously been reports that the first teaser would debut in the first quarter of 2017, with some speculating that the teaser may be attached to theatrical prints of Disney's Beauty and the Beast, which hits theaters on March 17, but that was never confirmed.

Since Disney seems content to debut their Force Friday event in September, to get fans ready for the new movie in December, it's possible that Force Friday may have a hand in moving Han Solo: A Star Wars Story from May 2018 to December 2018. A report surfaced last month that the studio is considering a move from May 25, 2018, which marks the 41st anniversary of A New Hope's theatrical release, to December 13, 2018. That report was never confirmed, and it isn't clear if the Force Friday event would have anything to do with the release date shift or not. Hopefully we'll get confirmation soon on when the Force Friday event for Star Wars: The Last Jedi will take place.