Laura Dern and Benicio Del Toro are officially confirmed as new additions to the cast as Rian Johnson has begun production on the new installment of the sci-fi film franchise.
- Feb 16, 2016
AceShowbiz - "Star Wars Episode VIII" has officially kicked off production at London's Pinewood Studios and Disney happily announced it with this video. It picks up where "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" left off, with Daisy Ridley's Rey handing out Luke Skywalker's (Mark Hamill) lightsaber to the original owner.
Also in the announcement released on Monday, February 15, the studio unveiled the official cast lineup. Ridley, Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong'o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie and Andy Serkis are among the returning stars, while Benicio Del Toro, Laura Dern and Kelly Marie Tran are tapped to play new characters.
The stars took to social media to share their excitement filming the movie. Boyega tweeted, "First day on Star Wars 8 complete ! We must face them! Fight them!" Hamill wrote on his own Twitter page, "An adventure just beginning.... #StillNoDialogue #RianHasMoreLinesThanMe #Wait4VIII #StarWars #StarWarsEpVIII."
First day on Star Wars 8 complete ! We must face them! Fight them!
— John Boyega (@JohnBoyega) February 15, 2016
An adventure just beginning.... #StillNoDialogue #RianHasMoreLinesThanMe #Wait4VIII #StarWars #StarWarsEpVIII https://t.co/rdQ9cxFApe
— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) February 15, 2016
Day one in the can!
Meaning we finished, not that we filmed it in a toilet. Though I'm not saying we didn't. Ok I should stop typing now.
— Rian Johnson (@rianjohnson) February 15, 2016
Rian Johnson is directing the film and wrote the script. Plot details are still kept under wraps. The movie is scheduled for a release December 15, 2017 in the U.S.
