Believe it or not, folks, an entire month’s worth of shooting onStar Wars: Episode VIIIis in the can. It feels like just yesterday we were salivating over any and every piece of information we could gather aboutStar Wars: The Force Awakens, eager to finally haveJ.J. Abrams’ new-trilogy-starter unveiled to us. And now, a few months after that film shattered box office records, the cast is gathered back in London, revealing the further adventures of Rey, Finn, Poe, and yes BB-8 under the direction ofRian Johnson. And to mark a month’s worth of filming under his belt, Johnson has shared his first photo from the set, marking a return to a mighty familiar piece of machinery.
Yes indeed, that sure looks like the Millennium Falcon to me. We last sawDaisy Ridley’s Rey jetting off in the Falcon to go return Luke Skywalker’s long lost lightsaber to a jaded-looking and very beardedMark Hamill, so it’s nice to see that while Han Solo is gone, his ship remains very much a part of this newStar Warstrilogy.
I am mighty excited to see what Johnson brings to this franchise. He’s a brilliant storyteller. FromBricktoThe Brothers BloomtoLooper, he’s more than proven himself adept at keeping a strong focus on character while telling wildly compelling tales.Star Warsis a massive step up for him in terms of scope and scale, but I’ve no doubt he’s really gonna deliver something special.
One thing that gives me promise for how Lucasfilm is approaching this newStar Warsfranchise is that they are clearly giving their directors the freedom to bring their own style and vision to the mix. Abrams delivered his signature style with longtime cinematographerDan Mindel, and Johnson here is working withSteve Yedlin, who has shot all of Johnson’s movies to date. And then there’sGareth Edwards’Rogue One, which has lensing byFoxcatcherandZero Dark ThirtycinematographerGreig Fraser. I love that Lucasfilm isn’t being too precious about style here, and I’m eager to see what Johnson and Yedlin bring to the franchise withEpisode VIII.
For more onStar Wars: Episode VIII, peruse our recent coverage below. The film stars Daisy Ridley, Mark Hamill,Carrie Fisher,John Boyega,Oscar Isaac,Adam Driver,Domhnall Gleeson,Andy Serkis,Gwendoline Christie,Lupita Nyong’o,Laura Dern,Kelly Marie Tran, andBenicio Del Toroand opens in theaters on August 27, 2025.
