‘Star Wars: Episode VIII’ starts filming, adds del Toro, Dern

NEW YORK – “Star Wars: Episode VIII” has begun filming and has added Benicio del Toro and Laura Dern to its cast.

The Walt Disney Co. announced Monday that “Episode VIII” started principal photography at London’s Pinewood Studios on Monday. Written and directed by Rian Johnson, the “Star Wars” sequel will follow J.J. Abrams’ box-office smash “The Force Awakens.” It’s set for release in December 2017.

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Joining returning cast members are the Oscar-winning del Toro, the Oscar-nominated Dern and newcomer Kelly Marie Tran.

The production start announcement was accompanied by a brief video that showed shooting picking up right where “The Force Awakens” left off, with Johnson directing Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) on a remote island off the coast of Ireland.