Rian Johnson’s Star Wars: Episode VIII has officially begun production in London, says Disney boss Bob Iger.
Despite its unfortunate seven-month delay, filming is going ahead as scheduled for the next instalment of the Star Wars saga.
Says Bob Iger, as quoted by Radio Times: “Filming of Star Wars: Episode VIII, the next chapter of the legendary saga, has just commenced and it will be in theatres December 2017.”
He adds, “production of Episode IX, a 2019 release, has also begun.” The ninth and final (?) installment of the main Star Wars saga will be directed by Colin Trevorrow.
Trevorrow recently revealed that he plans to shoot on film, following J.J. Abrams and Rian Johnson’s example and taking Star Wars back to its roots.
The script for the Force Awakens follow-up, the still untitled Episode VIII, has reportedly had to undergo some rewrites, and fans have speculated that perhaps Disney is responding to the lackluster response to villain Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), or the almost universal demand for more Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac).
John Boyega is definitely back as Finn — recently, the actor tweeted an intriguing, uh, preparation picture:
VIII pic.twitter.com/IP2mptdKOc
— John Boyega (@JohnBoyega) February 4, 2016
And Anthony Daniels, who plays C-3PO, tweeted the following on February 10:
Here we go again.
— Anthony Daniels (@ADaniels3PO) February 10, 2016
Meanwhile, Iger also revealed that “filming of [the first anthology film] Rogue One is virtually completed and we absolutely love what we’ve seen so far.”
Related: Mads Mikkelsen to have “very important” role in Star Wars: Rogue One
Rogue One stars Felicity Jones, Mads Mikkelsen and Ben Mendelsohn, and is set for release on December 16, 2016.
Finally, we’re still waiting for a release date for the Han Solo anthology film. For a long time the release has been tentatively set for May 25, 2018, and according to Radio Times it’s already in production (with the studio having narrowed down a shortlist of actors to play young Han Solo).