Star Wars Episode VIII has officially wrapped shooting.
A video posted to the Star Wars Twitter account shows off the final slate of the final shot, though don’t expect to glean any story details. “Cannot wait to share it with you all!” the account quoted director Rian Johnson as saying.
Final slate of the final shot. VIII is officially wrapped. Cannot wait to share it with you all! –@rianjohnson pic.twitter.com/l4Apk0Ro4i
— Star Wars (@starwars) July 22, 2016
Earlier this month, Luke Skywalker actor Mark Hamill said Episode VIII, or whatever it ends up being called, was nearly finished shooting. Now that filming has wrapped, the filmmakers will head to post-production and it’s always possible they’ll go back for some reshoots if needed.
Last weekend at Star Wars Celebration, Johnson talked about how Episode VIII is the movie where “we start zooming in on the characters and getting to the heart of them, challenging them, and pushing them deeper.”
This matches up with what Poe Dameron actor Oscar Isaac said in May.
“In the new film, there’s a lot more to do. What happens now is the heroes get tested. All three of them get tested immensely,” he explained at the time, adding the film is “dark,” but “not really dark.”
Stars Daisy Ridley and John Boyega have also spoken about the film’s darker tone. “It’s a different take–darker, bigger,” Boyega told Variety. “Someone will say: ‘How do you get bigger than Force Awakens?’ But it’s crazy.”
Following a delay, Episode VIII arrives in theaters on December 15, 2017. It also stars Adam Driver, Laura Dern, Domhnall Gleeson, Carrie Fisher, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, and Andy Serkis.
Star Wars fans don’t have to wait until 2017 to see a new entry in the series, as spinoff movie Rogue One comes out this December. Some new behind-the-scenes footage and a poster were revealed at Star Wars Celebration and can be seen here.