You’re allowed to nerd out Star Wars fans – Episode VIII has begun filming according to Disney CEO, Bob Iger. Scroll down for all the details.
While we were officially bummed out to discover Star Wars: Episode VIII would be delayed until December 2017, we accepted the decision if it meant a better film in the long run. But that doesn’t mean we’re not going to get excited at the tiniest piece of news.
We can now confirm that Rian Johnson’s sequel to the wildly successful Star Wars: The Force Awakens has officially begun filming. It was first revealed during Disney’s investor call, where it was confirmed that the cast and crew have started shooting down in London.
However if you’re getting technical, filming for Episode VIII actually began last year. There were reports that Rian Johnson and Mark Hamill had travelled back to to Skellig Michael – the Irish isle featured in the closing moments of The Force Awakens – in order to capture some new footage. It is widely believed that this will either be a flashback sequence or a carry on from Rey’s spine-tingling meeting with Hamill’s mysterious Jedi master, Luke Skywalker.
Disney CEO Bob Iger released the following statement on Star Wars: The Force Awakens, choosing to emphasise the monumental staying power of the franchise, stating that now is the perfect time to set up and start cracking on with production, especially after the $2B success of J.J Abrams’ Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
“There is no better way to propel this franchise into the future than producing quality products. Filming of Star Wars: Episode VIII, the next chapter of the legendary saga, has just commenced and it will be in theaters December 2017. And production of Episode IX, a 2019 release, has also begun.”
Star Wars: Episode VIII was originally intended to come out in May of next year, but we now know it will burst onto screens on December 15, 2017 – causing James Cameron’s Avatar 2 and Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One to be pushed back until 2018.
Source: EW