Things are getting pretty serious over in Malin Head. Last week, Star Wars: Episode 8 set photos emerged from the Northern coast of Ireland. These images showcased set construction and local interaction, but not much else. Then three days ago, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley and Mark Hamill landed at Belfast International Airport, together. Could this be coincidence? I think not!
But before we get to the meaning of all that, we can now confirm that production on Star Wars: Episode 8 is now underway at Malin Head. Some gracious soul took to Twitter to post a video of the Star Wars set and guess who’s on it? A fully-costumed Daisy Ridley, aka Rey, aka Padawan Jedi Savior. Take a look at the video yourself, below:
Spotting of Rye OMG @_DaisyRidley_ in #Malin @DonegalTV @VisitInishowen pic.twitter.com/rSCK9OD5wZ
— sammy (@sammymcguinn) May 15, 2016
Watch it a few more times if you have to, but that’s definitely Rey. So, how does this tie in with Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker and Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren? Well, as Making Star Wars points out, the “logical assumption would be to think all three will have scenes together.” And while the trio could certainly be shooting seperate scenes at the same time, the set’s location and construction hint at a team assignment.
Besides the fact that Rey, Luke Skywalker and Kylo Ren have a conflicting history and relationship together, the rocky scenery of this Star Wars set could indicate a climatic showdown. As you all should know by now, the final scene of The Force Awakens shows Rey tracking down Skywalker on Ahch-To and handing him his lightsaber, presumably to establish a Jedi training relationship. Kylo Ren, meanwhile, probably ain’t too happy having been bested by an untrained Force amateur. Is it a stretch to think that he would track them down on the foreign planet? It would certainly be a huge moment and awesome experience for fans.
Also consider that the Millennium Falcon as well as Chewbacca have been spotted on the Star Wars: Episode 8 set. Recall that Chewie co-piloted with Rey on the freighter to get to Luke in the first place. So now, all of the characters (yes, the Falcon is a character in this case) present in the final scene of The Force Awakens are filming on a coastline set. Everyone except Kylo Ren, of course. Why is Kylo Ren there now? “Search your feelings, you know it to be true.”
#Chewbacca aka the Hairy Lad seen at Malin Head!!! Plus Light show now on!
— Wild Atlantic Gifts (@Wildatlanticgif) May 14, 2016
Star Wars: Episode 8 arrives in theaters Dec. 15, 2017.
