‘Star Wars: Episode VIII’ is officially in production: Here’s what we know
Last December, the beloved Star Wars opening crawl, once again, rolled up the intergalactic big screen. Long-time fans went wild. Now, there’s more cause to celebrate! Disney CEO, Bob Iger, stated yesterday that Lucasfilm has officially begun filming the next installment, Star Wars: Episode VIII. Watch the video above!
However, apparently, this isn’t the first time work has occurred on the movie. In order to capture scenes on location during peak weather conditions, Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) and Daisy Ridley (Rey) were discreetly filming early last September, in Skellig Michael. Skellig Michael was the stunning backdrop for the final scene of The Force Awakens, so presumably, this is where Episode VIII will kick-off. This will be an interesting format for the new films – diverging from the classic ‘time-hopping’ that Star Wars traditionally used between episodes.
Many cast members will be returning in Episode VIII: Mark Hamill, Daisy Ridley, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, and Andy Serkis.
New additions include Academy Award winner Benicio Del Toro, Academy Award nominee Laura Dern, and newcomer Kelly Marie Tran. Rumour has it, Benicio Del Toro will take on the role of a new and exciting villain.
Also, Pablo Hidalgo (a Lucasfilm’s Story Group member) confirmed the name of the planet that Skywalker was found on: Ahch-To. SPOILER ALERT!!! As we know, Luke was searching for the first Jedi temple when he mysteriously vanished – last spotted on this planet and later found hiding there, by Rey. Episode VIII is set to reveal that this was because he found, in Ahch-To, what he was looking for. Overall, though, little is known about Star Wars: Episode VIII, so far. However, it has been confirmed that director Rian Johnson also wrote the script for this movie.
The release date for Star Wars: Episode VIII has been pushed back to December 2017, opposed to May. So, we’ll just have to wait a little longer for our next dose of ‘Pew Pew’ and ‘Woom Woom’ – all kinds of Star Wars onomatopoeia – but I’m sure it’ll be worth it!
In the meantime, check out the sneak peek just released yesterday and leave your thoughts in the comments below!
