Last December, I had the honor of being asked to be one of 25 writers & bloggers chosen by Disney/Lucasfilm, and flown into Los Angeles to work the Global Press Event for STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS. As my coverage wrapped, things immediately began to shift into ROGUE ONE (out this December, more on that shortly), but with the thought that something bigger was looming on the horizon… STAR WARS: EPISODE VIII. While news of its filming slipped out on an investor call last week, today things are truly official… EPISODE VIII is in-production! Check out the announcement below, and stay tuned for more news from a galaxy far, far away…
Official Announcement: 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.
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 the latest on THE FORCE AWAKENS, Gareth Edwards’ ROGUE ONE, Rian Johnson’s EPISODE VIII and everything STAR WARS, keep your browser pointed at TheRockFather.com/StarWars