Lucasfilm has not officially closed the book on last year’s Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens just yet, with the Blu-ray release of that film happening in a few weeks, but the studio has already commenced production on its direct sequel. Star Wars 8 has been filming for the better part of a month now, recently shifting gears to the Croatian city of Dubrovnik. Rian Johnson and his crew have been there for the past few days, shooting their scenes under the alleged protection of counter-drones to stop curious fans from getting too close a look.
Still, when something as massive as a Star Wars movie is filming in the area, it’s going to be hard to suppress everyone with a camera hoping for a sneak peek. As fans might expect, some set photos are starting to come out, illustrating the various locations Johnson is using in Croatia. Though, if a video montage of the pictures is any indication (watch it above), nothing all that revealing has leaked at this point.
The clip, which comes courtesy of YouTube user Izuzetno .com, mainly highlights buildings around the city that have been decorated to look like places in the Star Wars universe. Doorways are modified to include special panels, and there’s construction happening in the streets with cranes and other equipment. Arguably, the most interesting ones are set on a Sea Star cruise ship; the boat’s top seems to have been set up for a sequence, but overall the photos are fairly pedestrian. That makes the use of John Williams’ epic “Duel of the Fates” score extremely anticlimactic.
While the video doesn’t offer much in terms of clues, other set photos are a little meatier. Snapped by Du List (hat tip Making Star Wars), this other batch of pictures is headlined by a speeder under a tarp and extras dressed in some kind of military/security uniform. There appears to be some Aurebesh (a Star Wars language) on their helmets, with one possible translation being “CBPD.” That would make it seem like these people are part of the planet’s police department and are local law enforcement – perhaps unaffiliated with either the First Order or the Resistance. But given the secrecy of the project, anything is possible.
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