'Star Wars: Episode VIII' Release Date, News: Shooting Begins Near London
Following the massive success of "The Force Awakens," production has started its first day of shooting for "Star Wars: Episode VIII" on Monday, and fans in London are excited to snap a few shots of the cast on set.
According to The Guardian, Disney has recently confirmed that Benicio Del Toro and Laura Dern have joined the amazing cast, along with the release of the first production trailer for the highly anticipated movie.
Production has been set at the Pinewood Studios outside London. It is expected that additional information and spoilers will be revealed about the movie in the next few months. According to CNN, there is not much shown in the new video released, but fans have been given the idea that the film will revolve around the much-awaited meeting between Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill).
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The video also doesn't show Boyega's Finn, but he took to social media and celebrated the first day of shooting with fans. Hamill also joined the fun and joked about his role in the movie. He said his famous Skywalker still has no lines and Johnson has more dialogue than him.
It is unclear what role Dern will be taking on, but Del Toro said late last year that he will be a villain. He didn't give any more details, but with an amazing actor in the shoes of a villainous character, fans can expect some of the most thrilling confrontations in the sequel.
A post on the franchise's official Facebook page reads, "We are thrilled to announce Benicio Del Toro, Laura Dern, and Kelly Marie Tran will join Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Mark Hamill and director Rian Johnson for Star Wars: Episode VIII, which begins shooting at London's Pinewood Studio today. May the Force be with you, always."
Since shooting has just begun, there are no other details about the plot. However, it is expected that some hints will be dropped in the spin-off "Rogue One," which will premiere late this year.
