(Warning!Spoilersahead!)Star Wars: The Force Awakenshas been shatteringbox officerecords left and right since its release on December 18, with its global haul currently standing at $1.73 billion. As impressive as these box office numbers are, it could only signal the beginning of this franchise’s box office dominance, with five more movies slated to open over the next five years, starting with the first spinoffRogue One: A Star Wars Story, hitting theaters this December, followed byStar Wars: Episode VIII, arriving in May 2017. With production scheduled to begin later this month onStar Wars: Episode VIII, starJohn Boyegarecently teased new details about the sequel in an interview withVogue, revealing it will be much darker thanStar Wars: The Force Awakens.
“But now, we just starting work onStar Wars VIII, the next film, so I’m back to keeping secrets again. It’s great. Much darker, but we’re very excited. My part in the next film will be much more physical so I might be in the gym a bit more.”
Unfortunately, he wouldn’t reveal any specific details about why the script forStar Wars: Episode VIIIis so great, or why his role is so much more physical this time around. InStar Wars: The Force Awakens, we did get to see his characterFinnuse a lightsaber a few times, once while battling the now-infamous StormtrooperTR-8R, and again while squaring off againstAdam Driver’s Kylo Ren. It isn’t known if he will be wielding a lightsaber once again inStar Wars: Episode VIII.
Rian Johnsonis directingStar Wars: Episode VIIIfrom his own script, and while no specific plot details have surface, there are a few rumors about who will be returning. A rumor surfaced over the weekend thatHarrison Ford’s iconic character Han Solo may actually return in some capacity, even though he was killed by his nefarious son, Kylo Ren inStar Wars: The Force Awakens. That hasn’t been confirmed yet at this time, but as we get closer to production starting, hopefully we’ll learn more about who’s coming back, and who isn’t.
Benicio Del Torohas also been rumored to star, possibly as the villain inStar Wars: Episode VIII, but no specific details have been released regarding his character. DirectorRian Johnsonhas already shot some scenes for this sequel at Skellig Michael Island, the location where Luke Skywalker’s scene at the end ofStar Wars: The Force Awakenswas shot. What do you think aboutStar Wars: Episode VIIIbeing “darker” thanStar Wars: The Force Awakens?
