'Star Wars: Episode 9': JJ Abrams start production with gratitude

Filming of “Star Wars: Episode 9” has started, and Director JJ Abrams has started by expressing gratitude towards George Lucas, the creator of the franchise, and Rian Johnson, who directed “The Last Jedi.” He also shared a behind-the-scenes picture from the production set on the first day of filming.

In his post [see below], Abrams started off by remembering Carrie Fisher (Leia). The name of the late actress appears in the list of cast, and Disney and Lucasfilm have confirmed that they will be using some old footage from “The Force Awakens” to bring back the beloved character one last time on the big screen.

Abrams said that he is grateful for Johnson, and offered special thanks to Lucas for “creating this incredible world” and beginning a story that all these filmmakers and others are “lucky” to be a part of. The director also offered his thanks to the “extraordinary” cast and crew.

Johnson replied to the post with a simple GIF [see below]. The GIF shows Han Solo’s (Harrison Ford) salute, which is a scene from the original “Star Wars” trilogy.

The behind-the-scenes picture that Abrams shared with his post doesn’t reveal much because the main focus is on the camera that confirms that they are filming the last movie in the new trilogy. However, cast member John Boyega (Finn) can be clearly seen in the blurry background.

The very first scene that was filmed appears to be about Finn in a ship. Will he be in the Millennium Falcon? The actor can be seen in his typical costume, which is in a dark t-shirt and a brown leather jacket.

Meanwhile, according to a report by ComicBook.com, the release date of “Star Wars: Episode 9” may be changed. In a recent announcement, Disney and Lucasfilm just mentioned the movie will be out by December 2019, and didn’t mention Dec. 20 as the date. The report suggests that the date may be changed to Dec. 13, giving the fans a week’s time before Christmas holidays, and this is in line with what they have done in the past too.