'Star Wars: Episode VIII' Starts Production as Laura Dern Joins the Cast

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The Star Wars film franchise continues its legacy with some new faces.

Disney and Lucasfilm revealed on Monday that cameras are rolling on Star Wars: Episode VIII, which is written and directed by Rian Johnson. In the video announcement from the set, we see Rey (Daisy Ridley) face to face with Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), picking up moments where the previous film left off.


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The film franchise also announced that Benicio Del Toro, Laura Dern and newcomer Kelly Marie Tran are joining the cast. In an interview with ET, Del Toro confirmed he was going to appear in the new film but kept the details of his character secret.

“I don't know if he's a villain,” he teased. “People are saying that, but it's like they read a different script than I read.”

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

Posted by Star Wars on Monday, February 15, 2016

Of course, fans have their own thoughts about who the actors will portray on screen, with Del Toro joining the dark side and Dern playing Rey's mother.

"Maybe Dern will play a Wookiee," one Star Wars fan tweeted. "Del Toro was born to be a Star Wars villain," another tweet reads.


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“It's nice to keep people in the dark, a little bit of mystery is good,” Del Toro said of his mysterious role. “If they want to believe it’s the villain, then good.”


Do you agree with these new casting choices?


ET also caught up with Jurassic World director Colin Trevorrow
to talk about his plans for the film franchise when he directs Episode IX, which won't hit theaters until 2019. "[Episode IX] is something that needs to honor a story that's been told over a period of 40 years," he insisted. "I don't want to ignore any of it, and I respect all of it. It's something I think the fan base is going to embrace."

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