Los Angeles, Feb 12 (IANS) The upcoming "Star Wars Episode VIII" has officially begun production.
Disney CEO Bob Iger announced on Wednesday that Lucasfilm and director Rian Johnson have officially commenced principal photography on the sequel to "Star Wars: The Force Awakens", which minted over $2 billion worldwide, reports aceshowbiz.com.
"Star Wars Episode VIII" filming was set to begin in January, but principal photography was pushed back a few weeks around the same time the movie's release was shifted from May 2017 to December of the same year.
Iger provided updates on "Star Wars" universe during the company's quarterly earnings call, touting the financial success of "The Force Awakens".
"There is no better way to propel this franchise into the future than producing quality products. Filming of 'Star Wars: Episode VIII', the next chapter of the legendary saga, has just commenced and it will be in theatres December 2017, Iger said.
According to the Disney CEO, the production on "Star Wars: Episode IX" is underway too.
"And production of Episode IX, a 2019 release, has also begun," he revealed.
Talking about the upcoming "Star Wars" spin-off titled "Rogue One", Iger said: "Filming of 'Rogue One' is virtually completed and we absolutely love what we've seen so far. This is the first of a set of planned stand-alone stories and we're already in pre production on our next one, for release in May of 2018."
