Star Wars: Episode IX begins filming today!

Today, the cast and crew of Star Wars: Episode IX take their first steps into a larger world, as filming officially begins on the 2019 blockbuster.

Directed by J.J. Abrams, the film will wrap up the Star Wars sequel trilogy, and also is intended to be the final installment of the nine-part Skywalker saga.  They begin filming today at Pinewood Studios in London, which has served as the home base of sorts for Star Wars productions in recent years.  The Force Awakens, Rogue One, The Last Jedi, and Solo have all filmed there.

While they cast and crew are kicking things off at Pinewood today, they’ll also certainly be filming on location quite a bit as well during the production.  Earlier this week, Making Star Wars reported that one such location will be Jordan, which was a candidate for Jakku in The Force Awakens and which was featured for some of the Jedha scenes in Rogue One.  That means that we may be visiting another desert planet in Episode IX, and if that’s the case then going back to Jakku seems to be the most probable.

It’s definitely an exciting time to be a Star Wars fan, and it’s an exciting time for the franchise as filming for the conclusion to the sequel trilogy (and the Skywalker saga) is officially underway.

Episode IX stars plenty of returning cast members, including Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo, and Billie Lourd.  Star Wars veterans Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Billy Dee Williams, and Carrie Fisher will all be reprising their iconic roles, while Naomi Ackie, Richard E. Grant, and Keri Russell join the franchise as newcomers.  The film is being directed by J.J. Abrams, who co-wrote the script with Chris Terrio, and is being produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Abrams, and Michelle Rejwan.  John Williams will once again conduct the score for his ninth Star Wars film.  Episode IX will release in December 2019.