Benicio Del Toro & Laura Dern Join ‘Star Wars: Episode VIII’ As Filming Kicks Off

Principal photography on Star Wars: Episode VIII began today at London’s Pinewood Studios, Disney said, adding that Benicio Del Toro, Laura Dern and newcomer Kelly Marie Tran had joined the cast that includes Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, and Andy Serkis.

Episode VIII is written and directed by Rian Johnson and continues the storylines introduced in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. It’s produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Ram Bergman and executive produced by J.J. Abrams, Jason McGatlin, and Tom Karnowski. Release is slated for December 15, 2017.

Here’s a video from Star Wars.com announcing production: