J.J. Abrams Announces Start of Production on STAR WARS EPISODE IX

Last week, Lucasfilm announced the cast for Star Wars Episode IX. The film will bring back everyone from Mark Hamill to Daisy Ridley to Billy Dee Williams, while Keri Russell, Richard E. Grant, and Naomi Ackie are playing new characters. Additionally, the late Carrie Fisher’s Leia Organa will return via unused footage from The Force Awakens. Now, production has begun.

Director J.J. Abrams has announced the start of filming for Episode IX via Twitter. He thanks saga creator George Lucas and The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson for their contributions, while he shares his bittersweetness about making the movie without Carrie Fisher. Check out the tweet below, and stay tuned for more as we have it.

Bittersweet starting this next chapter without Carrie, but thanks to an extraordinary cast and crew, we are ready to go. Grateful for @rianjohnson and special thanks to George Lucas for creating this incredible world and beginning a story of which we are lucky to be a part. #IX pic.twitter.com/FOfnGwVut5

— JJ Abrams (@jjabrams) August 1, 2018

Star Wars Episode IX is scheduled to hit theaters on December 20th, 2019. The final installment of the Skywalker Saga stars Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo, Billie Lourd, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Billy Dee Williams, Naomi Ackie, Richard E. Grant, Keri Russell, and Carrie Fisher. J.J. Abrams directs from a script that he co-wrote with Chris Terrio