‘Star Wars: Episode VIII' begins setup on Skellig Michael Island
Production for “Star Wars: Episode VIII” on Skellig Michael Island seems to be set as some of the film crew were spotted setting up camp on the island over the weekend. Filming at the Unesco Heritage site will reportedly take place this month for around two to four days.
One of StarWars7news’ readers named Ronan Nissenbaum was able to visit Skellig Michael and capture some photos of the setup on the island. One photo shows a few men gathered around a tent while another snap shows a shelf stocked with water, batteries and other electric supplies needed for the production.
Ronan told StarWars7news that he also heard a few details about one of the possible scenes in “Star Wars: Episode VIII.” The tents and tarps set up on the island were left unguarded, except for one, which was placed on top of a fake sandy-coloured rock, as seen in this photo shared by the site. Ronan said this spot is probably where Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) will be standing on during filming that involves rain and wind machines. Ronan further claimed that he talked to insiders who said this set is being described as a “Jedi Monastery.”
Few visitors on the island have reportedly also seen some droids being locked in place. However, they couldn’t confirm whether it was BB-8 or R2D2 or both. The insiders further claimed there were also weapons already stored for production, but they didn’t specify if these were lightsabers or something else.
According to the Irish Times, filming for “Star Wars: Episode VIII” on Skellig Michael was supposed to start on Monday. However, due to inclement weather, heavy rains and strong winds, production was postponed to Tuesday. The cast and crew, which is reportedly made up of 100 people, flew to the Kerry Airport on Monday.
It’s believed filming on the island will last around four days. During production, cast and crew are set to follow certain rules to ensure the safety of the island’s wildlife and to maintain its archaeological environment. There are reportedly also certain bio-security protocols that needed to be followed to prevent rats from entering Skellig Michael.
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