Episode VIII is looking great

Actress Daisy Ridley has told interviewers that the script she has seen for Star Wars Episode VIII looks "very good", as preparation begins for the start of principle photography.

When asked by Variety.com if she had read the script for the sequel to The Force Awakens, Ridley, who portrays Rey in the movie, responded with "I have. It’s very good; very good" but refused to give any further clues as to what may happen in the movie. 

Some scenes have allegedly already been filmed for Episode VIII; notably on the Irish island Skellig Michael which we see at the end of The Force Awakens, and main filming is due to begin in January 2016 in order to meet the May 2017 release date Lucasfilm/Disney have set. Pinewood Studio has already revealed that they plan on shooting down any drones that are sent to spy on filming of the new movie, so we can expect a similar level of secrecy for the sequel.

Rian Johnson is the director for Episode VIII and is also involved with the script for Episode IX. Johnson's recent work includes the gritty time-travel-ish film Looper, and it is reasonable to expect VII to be darker than it's predecessor in the same way that The Empire Strikes Back was darker than A New Hope.

Returning for the next instalment are a host of familiar faces from The Force Awakens; Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron), Gwendoline Christie (Captain Phasma), John Boyega (Finn), and Daisy Ridley (Rey) have all been confirmed, along with Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker). It is also expected that Adam Driver (Kylo Ren), Andy Serkis (Supreme Leader Snoke), Domhnall Gleeson’s (General Hux), will all be making a reappearance and actor Benicio Del Toro has already been confirmed as being newly cast for the sequel, although it is currently unknown what role this is.

Let us know your Star Wars Episode VIII predictions in the comments below!