--- description: Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed Wednesday that the eighth installment of the "Star Wars" franchise is set for release in December 2017. title: "Star Wars: Episode VIII" Has Begun Filming image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfdecc58dfad77a97/69887cf75f570ff0c3b1f96b/bb-8.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [movies](/tag/movies/) ## movies Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # _Star Wars: Episode VIII_ Has Officially Begun Filming  by [Eliza Berman](/author/eliza-berman/)  ## Eliza Berman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Berman is a senior editor at TIME. Feb 10, 2016 5:24 PM CUT  Droid BB-8 attends the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" on December 16, 2015 in London, England. Droid BB-8 attends the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" on December 16, 2015 in London, England.David M. Benett--2015 David M. Benett/Getty Images  by [Eliza Berman](/author/eliza-berman/)  ## Eliza Berman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Berman is a senior editor at TIME. Feb 10, 2016 5:24 PM CUT Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed Wednesday morning that _Star Wars: Episode VIII_ has commenced principal photography in London. The announcement comes a few weeks after Disney said the movie’s release will be [pushed back](http://time.com/4187528/star-wars-episode-viii-release-date-2/ "undefined") from May to December of 2017. During Disney’s quarterly earnings call, _Entertainment Weekly_ [reports](http://www.ew.com/article/2016/02/10/star-wars-episode-viii-production "undefined"), Iger also reinforced the company’s intention to continue capitalizing on _Star Wars_ merchandise—which has already raked in more than $3 billion—saying, “There is no better way to propel this franchise into the future than producing quality products.” _Star Wars: Episode VII_ continues to make box office history, crossing the [$2 billion](http://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2016/02/07/star-wars-box-office-the-force-awakens-takes-53-whole-days-to-top-2-billion-worldwide/#2715e4857a0b78ad69082666 "undefined") mark worldwide last weekend. Meanwhile, filming of _Rogue One: A Star Wars Story_, the first in a series of planned stand-alone stories, is nearly completed; the film will be out Dec. 16, 2016\. Three additional _Star Wars_ movies are [set for release](http://time.com/4164754/star-wars-movie-release-dates/ "undefined"), one each in 2018, 2019 and 2020. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4215673/star-wars-episode-viii-filming-2/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4215673/star-wars-episode-viii-filming-2/"},"headline":"Star Wars: Episode VIII Has Officially Begun Filming","datePublished":"2016-02-10T17:24:01.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T14:57:12.965Z","description":"Just don't expect any leaks from the notoriously secretive set","url":"https://time.com/4215673/star-wars-episode-viii-filming-2/","keywords":["movies","Star Wars topic","Disney"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfdecc58dfad77a97/69887cf75f570ff0c3b1f96b/bb-8.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eliza Berman","jobTitle":"Berman is a senior editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/eliza-berman/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfdecc58dfad77a97/69887cf75f570ff0c3b1f96b/bb-8.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Droid BB-8 attends the European Premiere of \"Star Wars: The Force Awakens\" on December 16, 2015 in London, England.","caption":"Droid BB-8 attends the European Premiere of \"Star Wars: The Force Awakens\" on December 16, 2015 in London, England.","creditText":"David M. 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