Grab your lightsaber, Star Wars: Episode VIII is now filming.
Filmmaker Rian Johnson is already making a few changes to the Star Wars universe. After a casting call was released for the new Star Wars: Episode VIII, reports suggest that filming is now underway for the latest movie in the Disney movie.
According to Disney CEO Bob Iger, the director best known for Brick and Looper has started filming.
The sequel was set to begin in January, but principal photographer was pushed back a few weeks around the same time the movie’s release was moved from May 2017 to December of that year.
Disney CEO provided updates on the studio’s ever-expanding Star Wars universe during The Walt Disney Co.’s quarterly earnings call, boasting the financial success of the Force Awakens.
It is the only movie in history to make more than $2 billion at the global box office, and the only domestic movie to earn nearly $1 billion in the United States. In addition, he said it earned more than $3 billion globally in consumer products.
Iger said the company has a simple strategy for the future of Star Wars: don’t lose sight of what sold all those movie tickets and merchandise.
“There is no better way to propel this franchise into the future than producing quality products,” he said. “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.”
“Filming of Rogue One is virtually completed and we absolutely love what we’ve seen so far,” he said, of the heist story about Rebel plans to steal the blueprints for the original Death Star. (The film, directed byGodzilla‘s Gareth Edwards, will be released Dec. 16.) “This is the first of a set of planned stand-alone stories and we’re already in preproduction on our next one, for release in May of 2018.”
The upcoming “young Han Solo” movie, which The Lego Movie and 21 Jump Street directors Phil Lord and Chris MIller are making is based on a script by Lawrence Kasdan and his son Jon Kasdan. While Disney has been moving Star Wars release dates from spring to the winter holidays, Iger’s announcement that young Han Solo would remain in May, at least for now.
