We're over a year away from its release, but Lucasfilm has been teasing fans with a constant stream of new information about "Star Wars: Episode VIII."
Monday, a new teaser featuring Luke Skywalker was released, confirming that "Episode VIII" has begun filming. Along with the teaser, the official Star Wars blog has announced three new actors for the still untitled film directed by Rian Johnson.
Academy Award winner Benicio del Toro was long rumored to have joined the project, while veteran actress Laura Dern, and upcoming comedic actress Kelly Marie Tran are also confirmed for roles.
Benicio del Toro
Puerto Rican actor Benicio del Toro was rumored to have a role in "Episode VIII" after dropping hints to Spanish site Rac1 last December. The actor, whose sci-fi roles include a turn as The Collector in "Guardians of the Galaxy," didn't say much about his role, telling Rac1 "I'm like the villian, but we'll see..." No word yet on his character, but if he is indeed a villain, it will be interesting to see how his new character compares to returning First Order villains, Kylo Ren, General Hux, and Captain Phasma.
Laura Dern
Laura Dern is perhaps best known for her starring role as scientist Ellie Sattler in the original "Jurassic Park." She's had a varied career since then, appearing in comedy roles like the HBO series "Enlightened" and Fox's "The Mindy Project," and dramas like "The Fault in Our Stars" and 2014's "Wild," which earned her an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress. Dern has five Emmy nominations, two Academy Award nominations, and three Golden Globes. As for "Episode VIII,"Redditors and fans are already speculating that she could play Luke's former wife and Rey's long lost mother.
Kelly Marie Tran
Finally, Lucasfilm announced talented newcomer Kelly Marie Tran for an unspecified role. Tran is a young comedic actress with a string of hilarious appearances in webseries like "College Humor" and "Ladies Like Us." One College Humor appearance was a tribunal member determining who is and isn't "Asian enough." In another, she and a group of friends, all in their mid-20s, are horrified to realize how "old" they are. It's not clear what role she'll have in Episode VIII, but it's likely we'll see her comedic chops put to good use.
"Star Wars: Episode VIII" is in theaters December 15, 2017.
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