New Star Wars movie to start filming in Britain in May; R2-D2 in cast
PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 19 March, 2014, 11:56pm
UPDATED : Wednesday, 19 March, 2014, 11:56pm
Agence France-Presse in London
Actor Freddie Prinze Jr., voice of Kanan, holds Stars Wars Rebels Ghost Ship, joined by Stormtroopers at the American International Toy Fair in New York. Photo: AP
The first new Star Wars movie in a decade will start filming in Britain in May and the loveable droid R2-D2 is in the cast.
Filming will begin at Pinewood Studios outside London, where pre-production has been under way for several months.
The movie, currently known only as Star Wars: Episode VII, is being directed by JJ Abrams, known for the cult telev ision series Lost and the latest Star Trek movies.
A statement on the official Star Wars website said yesterday that the film would feature three "new young leads" alongside "some very familiar faces".
That will fuel speculation that the stars of the original trilogy - Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher - will appear.
Among the possible new faces, Adam Driver, a star of the hit US television series Girls, is rumoured to be in negotiations to play a Darth Vader-style villain.
The statement said: " Star Wars: Episode VII is set about 30 years after the events of Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, and will star a trio of new young leads along with some very familiar faces. No further details on casting or plot are available at this time."
The new film is scheduled to be released in December next year. Previous films in the series were also filmed in Britain.
