It may not be releasing in theaters until seven months later than fans would have liked it to come out, but filming has begun on STAR WARS EPISODE VIII. Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed this on a conference call (per Collider).
“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 theaters December 2017. And production of Episode IX, a 2019 release, has also begun.”
Nice!
Regarding Iger's comment about STAR WARS EPISODE IX being in production, he most likely means early production has commenced on the final chapter of the Sequel Trilogy. Writer/director Colin Trevorrow is working on post-production for his current film and Episode IX won't start filming for approximately another two-ish years (give or take a few months).
Regardless, Episode VIII has begun principle photography! So cue up all those set photo leaks and turn up the speed of the rumor mill so it can start churning up an over-abundance of rumors.
STAR WARS EPISODE VIII releases on December 15, 2017.
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