“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is still to hit theaters on December 18, but Director Rian Johnson will begin filming for “Star Wars Episode VIII” next month at Skellig Michael island in Ireland.
According to Comicbook.com, the Irish island was also used for filming the seventh installment of the “Star Wars” franchise because it is the current home of Luke Skywalker.
A heavily-bearded Mark Hamill, who plays Luke Skywalker, was snapped at arriving in the remote film location in July and August of last year.
Filming at Skelling Michael will last for six weeks because according to insiders, the location will have a far larger role in “Star Wars Episode VIII” than in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”
The same source also said that the final cut of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is just about complete and the final shot is a slow zoom out of Skellig Michael. “Star Wars Episode VIII is due to hit theaters on May 26, 2017.
Strong female character
Reports have been going around lately that “Star Wars Episode VIII” will feature a strong and young female character. While there has been no official statement yet as to who the female character is, many believe that it is going to be Daisy Ridley, who is to reprise her Rey character in “Star Wars Episode VIII,” and it will be in the same film where her identity as Han Solo’s daughter will be revealed, according to rumors.
Rian Johnson, who helmed “Looper,” is currently making his way through the movie’s pre-production phase including the movie’s casting. There have been reports going around that Benicio del Toro will be playing a new villain in “Star Wars Episode VIII” but he will be coming to the movie along with several new cast members, who have yet to be named.
While Rey being the offspring of Captain Han Solo is still speculation at this time, Director J.J. Abrams of “Star Wars: The Force Awaken” disclosed that her last name is purposely being kept a secret for the eighth movie of the series, details Screen Rant.
However, there is little evidence to support the theory that Rey is the daughter of Han Solo. According to people in the production of the “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” none of the new hero characters is a Skywalker or a Solo.
But it would definitely be a welcome plot if that is the case if only to ensure continuity of character legacy in the franchise.
Screen Rant went on to state that it could be perceived as a low-hanging fruit to make some of the young cast members related to the returning original trilogy characters since there’s no rule that says children of Luke, Han or Leia have to be featured in the first installment of the sequel trilogy.
Stuck to the mindset
Despite denial on the rumors that Rey may be the daughter of Han Solo, the fact of the matter is that the speculations have already gotten into the mindset of the “Star Wars” fans and they are most likely expecting that it would be drop in the new trilogy sooner or later.
Maybe Rey is just an ordinary person thrown into an extraordinary situation where she hardly knows anything, the same way that Luke Skywalker and Han Solo got embroiled into the saga in the original movie.
But if she is indeed related to an original character, as what Director Abrams may have insinuated, the hypothesis that she is the daughter of Han Solo and Princess Leia will continue to burn strongly until officially proven otherwise. If there’s anything else that fans should know, Rian Johnson happens to be a director who has this unusual penchant for keeping names a mystery.