UPDATE! Details on the Forthcoming Star Wars Skellig Michael Shoot.
Skellig Michael has been the subject of a good degree of controversy, as some environmentalists opposed using the heritage site as a filming location for the new Star Wars movies. Now, new rumors about the filming on the island have recently come to light, indicating what’s in store for both The Force Awakens and Episode VIII.
Spoilers ahead.
As it has been established already, Lucasfilm is going back to Skellig Michael Island to shoot footage this September. While the bulk of the filming will be for Episode VIII, there is still a chance that they could squeeze a few reshoot shots for The Force Awakens in the filming (though there’s next to no chance that the shoot will have anything to with Rogue One). One thing that has come up about The Force Awakens is a recent rumor about the last shot of the movie.
#Spoiler #Rumor: Final shot of #StarWars #TheForceAwakens to be a slow zoom-out of Skellig Michael Island #MovieNews pic.twitter.com/phg9VNysck
— MoovieNews (@MoovieNewsTweet) August 23, 2015
Skellig Michael has long been believed to be the site of some of the last shots of the movie, including what is quite possibly the last shot. I would personally imagine that such a zoom-out scene would involve Luke training Rey, since Mark Hamill and Daisy Ridley were the only cast members present – it would also explain why their stunt doubles were brought along, as they could be shot from a distance. If the rumor is true and the scene zooms out, that would be a bit of a departure from the previous six Star Wars films, which have all ended with group shots (unless BB-8 happens to be there or something).
There are also rumors that they will film in Kerry – and by extension, on Skellig Michael – for six weeks straight. I do not think it is likely that Skellig Michael will be the site of all of the Kerry filming – while filming on the island for Episode VIII will be considerably more extensive, the rocky terrain there does not seem to lend itself too well to filming for a long period of time, and Lucasfilm got a lot of flak from locals for filming there just for three days. Still, it’s worth remembering that the initial shoot was said to have been scaled down significantly, and that the local wildlife will not be present at the time they plan on shooting, so you never know. Filming on the part of Kerry that is on “mainland” Ireland (as opposed to an island off of Ireland’s shore) could very well happen.
UPDATE!
Irish Examiner chipped in on this situation, explaining that they have learned that the shoot on Skellig Michael Island will only last about a week.
James Hickey, the chief executive of the Irish Film Board, said its policy in assisting local and international producers who shoot here was similar to other film agencies around the world who operate on the same basis.
The IFB had come in for criticism from heritage group An Taisce, among others, ahead of a week-long shoot expected to take place on Skellig Michael next month.
Mr. Hickey did not refer explicitly to Star Wars but said: “The producers expect that any of our dealings with them are kept confidential until they are ready to make the announcements they want to make in relation to their projects. The only basis on which they will share their plans with us is where there is trust that the IFB will not reveal the plans to third parties, including the media. If we were to reveal such plans without the permission of the producers, no producer would trust us with their plans. We would not then be able to help these producers to locate their productions in Ireland.”
So it’s sounding way more likely that they’ll be shooting at Kerry as a whole, if the assertion that they will be filming there for six weeks is true.
Grant has been a fan of Star Wars for as long as he can remember, having seen every movie on the big screen. When he’s not hard at work with his college studies, he keeps himself busy by reporting on all kinds of Star Wars news for SWNN and general movie news on the sister site, Movie News Net. He served as a frequent commentator on SWNN’s The Resistance Broadcast.
For those wondering – no, I don’t think this destroys the theory of Luke being in more than one scene in TFA’s present at all.
I just hope the OT characters aren’t treated as orified cameos like what is done in the Expendables movies. I’m really looking forward to Luke, Leah and Han to be key, elemental characters.
Oh, me too – I can’t wait to see Hen Sulu, Leehigh, and Looke Skilletwelker again!
I think luke Will be Like yoda (old and powerful jedi master, and more present in ep VIII), han Like obi wan (the first new characters meet, and he’s there For the most part of the story), and leia… Well I don’t know xD
Luke is already a force ghost by the time TFA comes around, asleep in death. Hence the term “Awakens”. The quest to “find” Luke Skywalker… Either that or Luke dies sacrificing himself on behalf of his friends (and/or young Skywalker) ala Ben Kenobi and becoming a force ghost.
Wasn’t there a scene in ESB where Luke sees himself in Vader’s helmet? Anakin passed the Jedi Trials and fell to the Dark side already a powerful Jedi…
OMG! Leia uses Anakin’s lightsaber to defeat the fallen Luke Skywalker!
Nope.
That’s what your mum said when I asked her to stop with the strap on already…
The zoom-out idea seems odd to me, if only because all other films have been rather static character portraits (even Episode III, though it tweaked the formula for nostalgia/foreshadowing with the Lars family & the binary suns).
Technically the Empire Strikes Back ended with a zoom back from the rebel fleet, didn’t it?
And with John Williams score, it was a beautiful closing.
You are right. My bad. Totally forgot about that until you mentioned it.
And the ESB ending was THE most enticing as so many questions were left unanswered…
The final shot was a still shot though of Luke, Leia, and the droids looking out into space with a distant galaxy in view. This was after all the panning out on the fleet and so forth. Every episode has ended with some sort of group shot where characters are standing still and then it cuts to black with John Williams’ closing music.
Last shot was engines from medical frigate.
Well, since you say ‘technically’, no, technically it ends with the fleet moving away from the camera POV, not the camera zooming out.
John Boyega debunked the Luke is only in one scene by stating that the old cast kicks but and are not just cameos so give it a rest ALREADY!
Also, Carrie Fisher mentioned that the big 3 were on set together at the Comic-Con panel.
And all of the Hamil interview footage has been of him at the interior rebel base set.
Mark is most likely in two scenes in the movie. Luke is most likely in three. First is a vision; second is a hologram; third is the final scene.
I think they original planned to have Luke with a very limited role, but realized (although how the heck they didn’t know us beyond me) that it would totally make fans mad. I would curse JJ for the rest of my life, and as a force ghost.
Awesome! So excited!
Medieval landscapes. Love it!!! More King Arthur vibes yes please!
King Arthur vibes? – not sure where you’re getting that from.
Watch it be for Rogue One, with one of the Rogues having a sort of Corran Horn type story where he discovers his force sensitivity in the process of the film.
And at the end he/she is shown at Luke Skywalkers jedi temple contemplating it all.
What? You do know Rogue One is set BEFORE Episode 4…
Yeah I know, that doesnt mean there cant be a time skip in the movie to the TFA era.
Actually, it does.
How so? Lots of movies have part of the movie taking place during one time period, and finishing during another.
You are a time skip, retard…
Luke doesn’t even know what the force is at the time of Rogue One.
sooooooo…. what is your point? how does taht mean there cant be a time skip?
So this character finds out he is force sensitive during Rogue One, then waits more than 30 years before seeking Luke out?
Hmmmm…ok.
didnt say that, that actually depends on when luke establishes this JEDI Temple (if that is what this is)
So it could be anywhere from… 5 to 30 years later.
and more likely the character would have been sought out by Luke because Luke ist rying to recruit people to become new Jedi.
Rogue One is supposed to focus on the military aspect of Star Wars, so don’t count on seeing any force users (with the possible exception of Vader).
Also, throwing that kind of character arc into the story would make things unnecessarily complicated.
You said the character would be “an old person by then.”
You are talking in circles because you refuse to admit you said something silly. It is a bad idea…move on.
Okay, the problem is… that you are assuming that I mean that when we see this personas prat of thisjed ie nclave inthe future,i t means they JUST joined a that moment
Jeez, let it go, mate! You are on a hiding to nothing, your idea is a snowflake in a sauna!
*Tip of the Hat*
Doesn’t make much sense, since Rogue One takes place even before Luke had ever touched a Lightsaber… Except if you meant a generic Jedi Temple, like the ones we have seen in Rebels, that 30 some years after would become lukes hiding/meditating place …
Is everyone who read my comment here stupid?
Obviously there wouldbe some sort of time skip – _ – the character would obvioulsy be an old person by then.
We obviously misinterpreted your wording – in a way that’s pretty understandable. Don’t call people stupid.
ummmmm…. no I think I am going to call you stupid when you cant comprehend that time can pass in a movie.
Most of us understood your comment just fine, it is just idiotic. This guy is force sensitive, and waits until he is an old man to seek out Luke? Luke becomes a well known figure in the Alliance after destroying the first Death Star. He doesn’t seek out Luke then? Or in the 30 years between ROTJ and TFA?
Sorry, it is just stupid.
i am having a really hard time understanding what YOU are saying. Luke could have established this location as a jedi temple any time within a thirty year span.
Nor did I ever indicate that I thought the character sought Luke out. IN fact I feel that it was probably the other way around, that Luke selected him to be a student.
why did you say he would be “an old persperson”?
You are giving me a headache chief. Lol 🙂
Ralok, I applaud you for sticking to your guns. It’s a shame your guns are made of cooked spaghetti, eh champ?
If your idea plays out in Rogue One, hey, we all owe you a coke! Agreed?
And some fresh bathwater…
lol its not going to happen, and I never thought it was.
I was just throwing ideas out there at random.
I get it. You’re saying there should be a character in Rogue One that shows a talent for the Force in Rogue One, and that said character is older in TFA and appears as a Jedi.
Unless there are signs that Luke have trained others in TFA I’m afraid it wouldn’t work. Now if JJ shows us that Luke has trained others….
I don’t think anyone who read your comment is stupid. I think your comment and idea of a “time skip” is definitely stupid though.
holy Molly that whole conversation has me laughing
Arguing online is like playing in the special Olympics…even if you win, you’re still a retard.
Glove slap, baby glove slap…
lol like that joke.
Hodor
I am Groot!
Probablemente estarán rodando allí durante 6 semanas, porque, si es cierto lo que dicen los rumores, Los Caballeros se Ren averiguarán el paradero de Luke Skywalker e irán allí para realizar su propósito
What rumors? your friends and yours?
Sí, no sé de que rumores estás hablando, desde luego no he oído ningún rumor en este sentido.
Hey! Not fair. You two are conversing in Mandalorian!
For all we know this could be lukes final resting place. A tomb his body will be put in, like where he gets taken after being mortally wounded in a fight. A place where his force ghost will appear after his death to train a new apprentice. He could still be in episode 8 but as a force ghost.
Don’t think there will be a body to bury, he will disappear like we saw Obi Wan and Yoda do and become a force ghost.
This is purported to be snoke…is this real???
http://postimg.org/image/sgk8y278n/
Fake
This is actual real concept art for supreme leader snoke. One that actually made it to the design department for pre-production LT1- filming stage. The guy who leaked it in Jacksonville got fired I heard. It was on the local station. Serkis wanted a few modifications done to the final design.
http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/antagonist/images/a/a3/7ebb90_66cee325515061cd150462c4544adc74.png_1024.png/revision/latest?cb=20121021015100
That’s not snoke – that’s the head Grand Witch from the film “the witches” – played by Angelica Houston
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Witches_(1990_film)
I hope not. Looks like a rejected silent hill monster
As long as The Force Awakens doesn’t end with an Ewok or Gungan party, I’m good.
So excited about all the location filming for these films – filing on locations like Tunisia and Norway on the OT gave it an authenticity, like it was actually filmed on another planet
Odd… It kind of looked like Tunisia and Norway to me.
Skellig looks very beautiful.
kudos to the location guys for finding this place.
There better be an ancient Jedi Temple on that island or a “valley of the Jedi” kind of place.
Theres nothing in scifi i like more than the mixing of an ancient mysterious past with a technologically advanced future
I agree completely. I really hope this is the case.
Valley of the Jedi story at some point would be awesome!!!
This is Supreme Commander Snoke?
http://postimg.org/image/sgk8y278n/
I don’t know seems fishy
No, THIS is fishy
http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20081118162020/starwars/images/f/fb/Ackbar_HS.jpg
Lol that was hilarious! IT’S A TRAAAP!
That alleged Snoke pic looks like an alien from Mass Effect 3.
Is this the planet that Poe flies over in the trailer? Hard to tell due to the filters they were using but it’s clearly not Jakku or Takodana.
“Lucasfilm got a lot of flak from locals for filming there just for three days.”
[Rubs eyes in exasperation]
Guys, can we stop perpetuating this media-manufactured myth that the locals are opposed to filming on the Skelligs. I’m as local as it gets. And, while I can’t speak for everyone here, I can tell you that the opposition to this is coming from one or two cranky and overly-cautious ecologists from miles away were dragged into the spotlight by regional radio producers to add some redundant “colour” to coverage of the production. Within a week, this utterly contrived controversy had made its way via various legitimate outlets such as the Irish Times to The Onion of all places. Meanwhile, 99.9% of the actual locals from the area who are intimately acquainted with the Skelligs are fully supportive of the production. Not least because the notion that the film crew were going to impact on the local wildlife is fatuous in the extreme.
Every day, if the weather co-operates, there are approximately 170 people visiting the island. Every day, these people “disturb the local wildlife”. But, if you’d ever been on the island, you’d realise that it’s split into zones with humans confined to either the steps, Christ’s Saddle in the middle, or the actual monastic enclosure. And birds inhabiting the rest i.e. the places people cannot go because if they try, they will, most likely, die. Add to that, puffins are, no pun intended, hilariously unflappable. As you ascend, they stand like adorable little bouncers, completely unintimidated by your presence or intention to get by them and will only cede ground at the very last second.
Seeing as filming would have been confined to the few areas that humans can actually stand upright on the island, the impact on wildlife would have been no different than any other day on Skellig: minimal.
So, again, locals are fully behind the production. Because we trust that the people making the biggest movie in the world right now know a thing or two about being professionals and treating the location with the respect it deserves. We just let the guys get on with their filming, help out where we can, keep our heads down and our mouths shut. That seems like the best way we can contribute to this being the awesome movie experience that we all want it to be.
In closing, I really hope you guys enjoy what you see on the screen. Because, Star Wars or no Star Wars, Skellig Michael is an absolutely incredible place and I’m glad that more people around the world are going to get to see it. And, if you don’t believe me, just come visit us in Portmagee and see for yourself. You’ll be more than welcome. 🙂
^ I wish the PT Jedi were as nice and chill as this dude right here.
So well written too
Is it weird that I kind of hope to see a few puffins in the film? I mean ESB had earth lizards and snakes on Dagobah so why not, right? 🙂
Environmentalists need to chill the F out! Star Wars is much more important than their cause!
I was at GameStop today buying the force unleashed 2 and the guy insisted that darth maul was going to be the villain in TFA. Any rumors to back this up?
Not a chance. If anything the actor had said he would be interested in returning for an obi-wan: Star Wars story. Not involved in any current productions or rumors
Gamestop employees never cease to disappoint it seems. I haven’t been in to one since 2005 but they always have employees that don’t know what the hell they are talking about.
I even had one employee tell me he never plays video games because he doesn’t have the time…”well good talking with you…..” I now buy/download everything online.
When I see any kind of news about SW filming in Skellig Michael I get some curiosity: why isn’t Finn also training with Luke and Rey?
I think a zoom out of Rey and Luke training would be legit for an ending. You could even have Luke just kicking her ass with force pushes and just toying with her.
Then have Rey get one suprise skilled move in on Luke followed by him going to another level and pushing her to get better as the camera then zooms out.
Of course some clever banter here and there. This would set up episode 8 nicely. I also hope Rey has a pike/staff saber. I use a bo/staff in Tae Kwon Do and would love to see a light-side character using one with a lightsaber on the end.
That sounds craptacular.
I know I will likely not get my wish but I’m rooting for Rey to have a yellow saber staff similar to Bastia from kotor or the Jedi temple guards. That just looks so sick and it would be nice for once if a good guy had a non-standard lightsaber instead of just the sith
I’m not sure if I like this idea of having Ep VIII begin immidiately after TFA. In every Star Wars movie so far, there’s always been at least 1 year between each episode.
It does not begin immeditaly after TFA. Some time has passed and Rey is training with Luke, when the evil guys attack the temple and Luke has to sacrifice himself in order for Rey to escape.
I’m sure glad you are not writing it.
Episode VIII: Attack of the Evil Guys
Boyega’s next movie, “The Circle”, begins filming in September in California (Variety):
http://variety.com/2015/film/news/emma-watson-tom-hanks-the-circle-1201527471/
http://deadline.com/2015/08/john-boyega-star-wars-episode-vii-the-force-awakens-the-circle-tom-hanks-1201500864/
The last few minutes of TFA are according to someone working on the movie:
After arriving on the planet with the Millennium Falcon, Rey walks up the stone steps to the temple. There a robed figure is waiting.
A close up shows the robotic hand of the robed figure taking the lightsaber which Rey places into the hand. The camera zooms up and we see Lukes bearded face for the first time.
Then the camera zooms out and out until we only see the island and the Millennium Falcon flying into the sky. End Credits.
If Luke trains Rey as rumored then why does Finn wield a saber in promotion pics,who trains him? If he dies,don’t tell me.
Finn is a Skywalker.
really ? finn is black how on naboo is that possable ? some people just read wayyy too much into things the only offspring of luke is rey.
Luke banged a black chick.
I’m a white guy, my wife’s black and my son’s taken more after his mother and is very dark skinned, so it does happen. Nobody believes that he’s my son (and before some smart arse says he’s not, he is 100%) so Finn could quite easily be a Skywalker!!!
Thank you for taking the time to find, love, marry and procreate with a black woman years in advance of TFA’s release so that we can finally settle this matter.
I had sex with a black woman once…does that help?
I had sex with several black women. They were strong with the force.
Simultaneously?
Forced intercourse is considered rape, how are you coping? Are you getting help? There are a number of organisations that can help broken men like you…
It appears that there is character clip art that various retailers or third parties get to play around with in Photoshop. You can see the Poe graphic here:
http://jnheurope.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Star-Wars-Table-and-Chairs-Type-2-2.jpg
Another clip art type of example
http://www.starwarsnewsnet.com/2015/06/full-look-at-the-force-awakens-promo-art.html
Luke is guarding Darth Plagueis’ Tomb on Skellig.
Luke is guardian the tomb of the Prequels… Thats why JJ doesnt want the young fans to know them, nor does he want any characters from episodes 1,2 and 3 to be tied in to the saga…. He just wants to reboot the originals…. Thats excatly what i see in episode 7….
For those who think that “Finn” is a Skywalker…
This isn’t possible because John Boyega is 100% African Negro.
With not a drop of White blood in his entire body.
It’s called acting. You don’t have to be the exact race / orientation / personality as someone you are playing so long as you make people buy it. All that said I doubt Finn is a skywalker, just not for that reason.
This guy is obviously a retard, no need to verify… my opinion has magically become fact!
And you know that how? Also who gives a shit?
As you might have noticed the stories of Star Wars take place in a galaxy far far away and also a long time ago. Indeed. It was all made up and isn’t real. Shocking news for you?
Do you have access to his DNA?
You can’t make a definitive statement like that just by looking at someone numbnuts.
What is the gestational period of a Bothan’s reproductive cycle?
I would also like to know how sandpeople do it. Is a Dianoga really a one eyed monster?
Is the sarlac an orface with teeth?
Is it related to a Venus fly trap?
I don’t currently have my copy of the Star Wars Illustrated Joy of Sex Volume 8 so please enlighten everyone with what you know.
Also black men have Fathered blond hair blue eyed children.
The ending pretty much rules out the chance of Finn being a Skywalker. You really think JJ would miss the chance of letting the big moment of Luke’s reveal not between him and his child?
Besides, Finn is not the final owner of the lightsaber.
Agreed, I have the same feeling at this point in time – Rey and Luke together in the final scenes of TFA on Skellig Michael. Lock it in Eddie…
Whining racisist are unworthy of watching Star Wars.