‘Star Wars’ looks set to return to Kerry this summer, with reports that construction is currently underway in Ceann Sibéal at the western tip of the Dingle Peninsula before ‘Star Wars 8’ shoots there in the summer.
The reports come after @DingleHoliday tweeted a photo of a 1.5km metal roadway under construction on the peninsula. The roadway is understood to be for crew to transport film gear and is being built before the crew descends on Ceann Sibéal for a purported two week shoot in May.
‘Star Wars 7: The Force Awakens’, directed by JJ Abrams and nominated for five Oscars, was partly filmed on Sceilg Mhichíl in the summer of 2014 with Minister for of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Heather Humphreys stating that the shoot “illustrated, once again, that Ireland is a fantastic location for major movie production. It also showed how, with the right safeguards in place, film making can work in harmony with our stunning natural environment."
‘Star Wars 8’ is being directed by Rian Johnson (‘Looper’) and sees actors Daisy Ridley, Carrie Fisher, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver and Mark Hamill return along with new additions Benicio Del Toro and Laura Dern. Irish actor Domhnall Gleeson is also returning as the villainous General Hux. Filming has already taken place on Sceilg Mhichíl in September 2015.
The film is slated for a 2017 release.
