Plus, Benicio Del Toro, Laura Dern, and Kelly Marie Tran have joined the Rian Johnson film.
It's official! Cameras are rolling on Rian Johnson's Star Wars: Episode VIII, as confirmed by Disney/Lucasfilm today. In a surprising bit of charity, that confirmation came with the added bonus of brief footage from the transitional moments between Star Wars: The Force Awakens and the eighth installment in the franchise. As a double bonus, fans also glimpsed director Johnson behind the scenes as he welcomed the cast, crew, and audiences around the world to the start of filming.
Additionally, we can now confirm returning cast members Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, and Andy Serkis, along with some newly confirmed additions. Those include Benicio Del Toro, Laura Dern, and Kelly Marie Tran (CollegeHumor Originals). We've got a long wait ahead of us since Star Wars: Episode VIII doesn't open until December 15, 2017, but still ... so excite!
Watch the official announcement featuring Johnson, the crew of Star Wars: Episode VIII, and some surprise cast members below:
Cameras roll for the next chapter of the Star Wars saga, written and directed by Rian Johnson.
Take a look at the press release concerning the start of production for Star Wars: Episode VIII below (via Star Wars):
STAR WARS: EPISODE VIII NOW FILMING
CAMERAS ROLL AND THE CAST IS CONFIRMED FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER OF THE STAR WARS SAGA.
Rey took her first steps into a larger world in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and will continue her epic journey with Finn, Poe, and Luke Skywalker in the next chapter of the continuing Star Wars saga, Star Wars: Episode VIII, which began principal photography at Pinewood Studios in London on February 15, 2016.
Image via Lucasfilm
Star Wars: Episode VIII, which is written and directed by Rian Johnson and continues the storylines introduced in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, welcomes back cast members Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, and Andy Serkis. New cast members will include Academy Award winner Benicio Del Toro, Academy Award nominee Laura Dern, and talented newcomer Kelly Marie Tran.
Star Wars: Episode VIII is produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Ram Bergman and executive produced by J.J. Abrams, Jason McGatlin, and Tom Karnowski. Joining the production crew will be some of the industry’s top talent, including Steve Yedlin (Director of Photography), Bob Ducsay (Editor), Rick Heinrichs (Production Designer), Peter Swords King (Hair and Make-Up Designer), and Mary Vernieu (US Casting Director). They will be joining returning crew members Pippa Anderson (Co-Producer, VP Post Production), Neal Scanlan (Creature & Droid FX Creative Supervisor), Michael Kaplan (Costume Designer), Jamie Wilkinson (Prop Master), Chris Corbould (SFX Supervisor), Rob Inch (Stunt Coordinator), Ben Morris (VFX Supervisor), and Nina Gold (UK Casting Director).
Star Wars: Episode VIII is scheduled for release December 15, 2017.
For more on all things Star Wars, be sure to take a look at some of our recent coverage below:
