Photos: Star Wars Episode VIII Cast Arrive at Belfast, Northern Ireland!

Mark 03
Image by ©Pacemaker

 

It’s happening!!! Mark Hamill, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver and director Rian Johnson have just arrived at the Belfast airport in Northern Ireland. Check out the first photos with them…

 

 

From UTV.ie (via Terence Mulvey). Images by ©Pacemaker:

On Friday, actor Mark Hamill – who plays the iconic Luke Skywalker in the sci-fi series – arrived in Northern Ireland alongside his fellow cast members Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver.

And while Ridley and Driver, who play Rey and Kylo Ren, attempted to make their way through the airport unnoticed, Hamill smiled for the cameras and gave a huge animated wave for the lens as he was welcomed to the city.

Part of the new Star Wars movie is being filmed on location in Co Donegal, where a huge structure has been built over the last few days at Malin Head – Ireland’s most northerly point.

Mark 02 Daisy Daisy 02 Daisy 03 Rian

 

Yep, that’s right. Kylo Ren is coming to Ahch-To. 🙂

 

Filming is expected to be at least 3 weeks in Ireland, so there will be lots of interesting reports in the following month. Stay tuned…

 

You can see more photos from the Belfast Telegraph HERE.

 

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Founder of SWNN, MNN and The Cantina forums.

Born on April 24, 1980.

Val Trichkov (Viral Hide)

Founder of SWNN, MNN and The Cantina forums.Born on April 24, 1980.

87 thoughts on “Photos: Star Wars Episode VIII Cast Arrive at Belfast, Northern Ireland!

  • May 13, 2016 at 4:14 pm
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    Daisy Ridley should have gone the full hog and sprouted an olive drab three holed balaclava. She wouldn’t have looked any less suspicious.

    Great filming news though.

    • May 13, 2016 at 6:17 pm
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      Yes, one with cute cat ears!

  • May 13, 2016 at 4:15 pm
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    Adam Driver on ahch-to? Hmm. Likely a vision / flashback perhaps? I don’t see how he’d know Luke’s location unless he was tracking the Falcon?

    • May 13, 2016 at 6:08 pm
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      Cannot be a flashback. He has never been there before.

      • May 13, 2016 at 6:14 pm
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        Hm. True.

      • May 13, 2016 at 6:24 pm
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        How do you know?

        • May 13, 2016 at 6:25 pm
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          Why would he being looking for a map to the first Jedi Temple for the entirety of the first movie if he has already been there?

          • May 13, 2016 at 10:34 pm
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            Because he didn’t know what it was when he was there? Maybe he had been there with Snoke but things were masked or something? Who knows. There are quite literally thousands of reasons why he may not have known the significance yet have been there for one reason or another. They knew the region Luke was in, it’s possible he had been to the planet searching for him. He would have known of a bit of Lukes journey prior to the disappearance so it’s not implausible for him to have visited there at some point.

          • May 14, 2016 at 11:19 am
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            Well also you have to think about kylo saw the planet while using force intrusion on Rey and he had no idea what the planet was. He thought it was just some island. So I think if he had been there before that would have surely sent of a few alarms.

          • May 14, 2016 at 7:40 pm
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            You’re pulling things out of thin air now. Did you watch a different movie?

          • May 15, 2016 at 5:06 am
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            I am beginning to think you did not watch the movie. Kylo sees the island and ocean in ReyÂŽs mind. He literary says that in the movie. Also your previous post was a whole paragraph of pulling stuff from air.

          • May 15, 2016 at 9:29 am
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            My entire post was speculation. Here’s the definition since you don’t seem to understand the difference between that and “pulling things out of thin air”

            spec·u·la·tion
            ˌspekyəˈlāSH(ə)n/
            noun
            noun: speculation; plural noun: speculations
            1.
            the forming of a theory or conjecture without firm evidence.

            Your entire post was making assumptions based on two words and stating those assumptions as fact. I never said he didn’t state that he saw an island either. You seem to have inferred a lot from that scene and my statement that just wasn’t there.

          • May 15, 2016 at 9:35 am
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            For comparisons sake, if I show you, an more than likely out of focus picture of an generic location, for just a couple seconds, and then ask you to identify that location, you would be able to do that? For any location on the planet? How about any location in the solar system? Galaxy? Just because he didn’t recognize it out of hand doesn’t mean he has no prior knowledge of the world or has never seen it before. Maybe he thought it was Maz’s world during the interrogation since it’s similar? There are dozens of potential reasons if not more.

          • May 15, 2016 at 3:27 pm
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            One Maz’s planet looks nothing like an island surronded by ocean. Secondly this is just another paragraph of you pulling stuff out of your ass. Now you can keep doing this but the facts of the movie are on my side. He was looking for a map to a place the whole first movie because you know why? Common sense tells us he has never been there before.

          • May 16, 2016 at 8:03 am
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            You asked a specific question that required an answer based on speculation, then call it “pulling things out of my ass” while claiming my speculation is wrong because of whatever bullshit “facts” you seem to have interpreted from little to no information whatsoever. You either don’t comprehend the concept of speculation or you’re a troll. Either way you apparently have no desire to do anything but argue.

            I never stated what I was typing was fact, and in fact stated clearly that it was not fact, and was purely speculation. Which you don’t seem to understand. Which is fine, not everyone is able to comprehend the way conversations work or how to go about them without making oneself look like an imbecile. Maybe you should work on that?

          • May 16, 2016 at 8:26 am
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            You were the first one to state “You are pulling stuff out of air” to my speculation. So please drop the act of innocent bystander. You asked me a question at the very start of this and I answered it plain and simple. Feel free to go pester someone else.

          • May 16, 2016 at 6:37 pm
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            Go back and read the conversation. ” He thought it was just some island” <- This is PURE speculation that you presented as a fact. I offered counters to this which you've been nothing but dismissive of, because you seem to have decided that your interpretation of that scene is the one single factual way to see it. It's not.

            You seem to have some need to be correct about things so whatever, fine. You're correct, he saw an island and an ocean which could only possibly have been that one single planet in the entire galaxy even though we've seen multiple planets that have similar environments across all the different facets of Star Wars media just since the start of the new canon. Yep, you're correct, he couldn't possibly have dismissed that as being the planet they had just been on even though it had a similar environment.

            Sorry Richard, you're the only one who's been playing innocent bystander. I've been stating plainly and clearly that everything I said was speculation, while trying to keep the conversation on track. You continue to post reply after reply acting oblivious to the fact that I was actually trying to have a constructive conversation with you. There is a distinct difference between speculation and pulling stuff out of ones ass. The difference in most cases is the acknowledgement that ones opinion is speculation and not fact.

            Apparently, according to your last post, you knew this from the get-go yet continued to be argumentative and act oblivious to it. This makes you a troll. One which I won't bother wasting any more time trying to actually have a constructive conversation with since it's obviously impossible for you to adjust your rectal cranial inversion to the point where you can speak clearly without spraying bullshit when you talk. Good day sir, I believe you've left your bridge undefended.

          • May 16, 2016 at 11:19 pm
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            I thought I told you to pester someone else. I do not have time to read four paragraphs of you playing the victim card.

          • May 17, 2016 at 3:09 am
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            Wow, you really are just an troll aren’t you?

      • May 14, 2016 at 3:25 am
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        Because anything never done in SW cannot be done in SW?

        • May 14, 2016 at 11:14 am
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          One that sentence makes zero sence. Second having a flash back scene take place in a location where Kylo has never been is not breaking cinematic new ground. It is just illogical and stupid.

    • May 13, 2016 at 6:24 pm
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      Well, the falcon was tracked by it’s ancient imperial tracking device once already so he might actually be tracking the ship.

      • May 13, 2016 at 9:06 pm
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        You are shitting me. I mean, you HAVE to be. THAT’S the official excuse for that lazy bit of plotting? Han just never bothered to remove the tracking device from ANH? Oh, go so to hell, JJ.

        • May 13, 2016 at 10:40 pm
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          It’s how Han and Chewie picked it up. When Rey and Finn fired up the ship to escape Jakku the beacon reactivated. It’s confirmed in the novelization through a couple lines of dialogue that probably got truncated or cut prior to or during filming. Actually if Fords injury was during that set of Falcon scenes that might be why it’s not in the movie.

          • May 17, 2016 at 10:57 pm
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            The career smuggler, knowing his ship was traceable by the Empire, never over the course of a couple of years, let alone the period after Jedi, just never bothered to remove the tracking device? Bunk. Pure bunk.

          • May 18, 2016 at 10:20 am
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            Oh I wasn’t saying it wasn’t rubbish. It IS kind of Star Wars though for Han to overlook it or to have just turned it off or something.

          • May 19, 2016 at 12:21 am
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            I could certainly see a smart smuggler/pirate having a use for the device in a pinch.

            If somebody can’t see that, then its their own lack of imagination.

        • May 14, 2016 at 12:21 am
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          Not an ‘excuse’. Its stated in the damn movie, explicitly.

          • May 17, 2016 at 10:55 pm
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            First, that doesn’t make it ‘not an excuse’. Second, that is some high-quality fanboi bullshit fantasy right there my friend – they most certainly do not state it, ANYWHERE in the film, nor is it even vaguely implied to be the original tracking device. Han says the ship is bugged, which is how they found it. Boom, that’s it. Taking that one line of dialogue and assuming that 1) that the SMUGGLER just LEFT THE ORIGINAL TRACKER ON HIS SHIP FOR YEARS and 2) Ford fiddling with something on the set to make it look like Han is checking out his baby means that’s where the tracking device is requires INSANE amounts of tortured logic. If THAT’S where the thing was (according to Cross-sections, no it isn’t), why in hell over the course of event between ANH and ESB, let ALONE the time after RotJ before he lost the Falcon, would Han have not fiddled with that panel for 3 seconds before? Bunk.

      • May 14, 2016 at 1:23 am
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        It would seem really stupid since Han points it out to both Rey and Finn when they are heading into Maz Kanata’s castle.

        My vote: There is a spy within the Resistance. Very believable, requires little explanation.

  • May 13, 2016 at 4:20 pm
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    Hehe they seem to have been caught :))
    Specially Driver was not expected 😀

  • May 13, 2016 at 4:29 pm
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    im so close to luke skywalker right now

    • May 13, 2016 at 6:22 pm
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      Then maybe you should stop hiding in his hotel room…

  • May 13, 2016 at 4:33 pm
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    Woo-ho! Kylo Ren in Ahch-To! Sounds like a kick-*ss light saber battle is in order

  • May 13, 2016 at 5:53 pm
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    Interesting! Maybe Rey has a vision in that weird tree, facing Kylo? While Luke sits outside poking with his stick.

    Given TFAs success, they may continue with elements of rebootal

    • May 13, 2016 at 6:44 pm
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      Every SW sequel or prequel has elements that harken back to previous episodes. This isn’t anything new, and critics were complaining about it as early as Empire:
      https://youtu.be/YbaliPyihCY

      • May 13, 2016 at 7:04 pm
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        Yeah I wasn’t being snarky. Though there is a marked difference between TFA and other SW movies in this regard (IMO).

        • May 13, 2016 at 7:26 pm
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          I think Episode 1 is just as similar if you look past the aesthetics.

          • May 13, 2016 at 7:30 pm
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            there is no argument that episode 1 is as similar to the originals as 7 is.. you have to be completely indenial to believe that

          • May 13, 2016 at 7:38 pm
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            Uhm… VII went out of its way to give the same kind of visual and thematic experience, all the way down to (you guessed it) not shooting digitally. TPM in contrast may have some similar elements but doesn’t really look like the classic films like VII does – except, maybe, some of the shots on Tatooine. Now, plot point wise – yes, but again, VII is almost beat-for-beat ANH, and TPM isn’t.

          • May 13, 2016 at 8:55 pm
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            my wording was confusing but yes- i agree with you. Crixxxx and other OT purists seem to attempt to justify the sub-par story of TFA by saying it mirrors ANH exactly the way TPM mirrors ANH, but TPM was much different than ANH. don’t get me wrong, i enjoyed TFA, but there are so many other routes that i think they should have taken with it. STORY wise. everything else was done excellently.

          • May 14, 2016 at 6:27 am
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            Tell Larry Kasdan he can’t write.

          • May 13, 2016 at 8:54 pm
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            A boy living an unpleasant life on Tatooine despite being an extremely talented pilot dreams of one day leaving to become a great man and explore the galaxy. He meets a wise Jedi knight who promises to teach him the ways of the force and become a Jedi. The boy initially refuses, then agrees to leave with the Jedi knight to assist a young female royal restore peace in a conflict that threatens her people. The wise Jedi mentor is killed in a lightsaber duel with a Sith, leaving the boy to be trained by someone else. The boy then pilots a ship to destroy the enemy space station to save the day and become a hero to the amazement of all. Seems pretty similar to me. Explain how this is not every bit as similar to A New Hope as TFA is.

          • May 13, 2016 at 9:04 pm
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            of course those points are there- that’s star wars formula. look at all the DIFFERENCES in phantom menace from the original film. there are so many. the podrace sequence, the introduction of anakin to the jedi council, the political background in the galactic senate, the corruption on naboo, the droid army, the gungan society, the huge ground battle between the gungans and the droid army at the end…. how many differences were in force awakens? the rathtar sequence, the finn character, flash back sequence, meeting luke skywalker in the end.. that’s about it. the entire story of a lonely character living on a desert planet who meets a droid containing crucial information put in said droid by a rebellious figure who then runs into some new characters and leaves said planet on the Millenium Falcon and spends the rest of the film with Han Solo and Chewbacca before the 3rd Death Star kills billions of people after which point the good guys make a trench run to destroy the aforementioned Death Star and then everyone lives happily ever.. you left a few KEY things out of your description that were EXACTLY the same as the original film.. if you’re going to argue from that standpoint, you have to cover all the bases

          • May 13, 2016 at 9:51 pm
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            Actually, I never described the Force Awakens, nor did I ever say it wasn’t similar to a New Hope. I described The Phantom Menace, and listed all the similarities for that movie and A New Hope that you seem to ignore because of of inconsequential things like pod racers and senate meetings. When you look at the story itself, and not the details – it’s the same thing! And since TFA used similar aesthetics to the original trilogy you think it’s so much more a copy of ANH, when it’s every bit as similar as Phantom was.

            New things TFA brought to the saga:
            Deserting stormtrooper as main character
            Female lead
            Females in opposition forces
            Force-induced flashbacks
            Using the force to withdraw information from people
            The New Republic and its new capital
            New Jedi Academy betrayed and destroyed
            A fascist dictatorship that replaces a totalitarian Empire
            The offspring of Han and Leia
            The first Jedi temple
            A host of new creatures and aliens
            New spacecraft
            New main/supporting characters – Rey, Finn, Poe, Kylo, Snoke, Maz, Hux, Phasma

          • May 14, 2016 at 9:59 am
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            the argument is still weak in my opinion- new characters are inevitable.. the politics were not touched upon in the least.. there was nothing about a jedi temple.. it was mentioned in passing, we barely experienced new spacecraft as the entire film was mainly centered on the falcon.. also the academy being betrayed and destroyed is mentioned in passing.. i don’t agree that the film “gave” us most of the things you mentioned- they were briefly mentioned. strong female presence is definitely a unique characteristic to the film but beyond that.. none of the other points were “brought” to the saga in full

          • May 14, 2016 at 5:47 pm
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            Luke goes to find the location of the first Jedi Temple on the island planet. Han Solo says this. New spacecraft include Han’s freighter, Leia’s transport ship, Kylo Ren’s ship, the stormtrooper transports, the pirate ships, and Rey’s family ship. The academy being destroyed is seen in the flashback.
            For crying out loud, The Phantom Menace ends on a shot that is an exact duplicate of the closing shot of A New Hope – and that’s not copying????

          • May 13, 2016 at 7:34 pm
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            Yeah, there are some notable “echoes” or whatever one wants to call it – but TFA takes it further by not only echoing, but downright copying – case in point, the sequence where Rey overhears two Stormtroopers discussing the latest model of whatever. I think TFA in this particular scene went too far. YES, they were (re)kickstarting the franchise, and YES it was incredibly smart to lay a framework that is similar to the movies people love… I can’t think of a scene in TPM that takes this kind of step. Correct me if I’m wrong!

          • May 13, 2016 at 8:51 pm
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            A boy living an unpleasant life on Tatooine despite being an extremely talented pilot dreams of one day leaving to become a great man and explore the galaxy. He meets a wise Jedi knight who promises to teach him the ways of the force and become a Jedi. The boy initially refuses, then agrees to leave with the Jedi knight to assist a young female royal restore peace in a conflict that threatens her people. The wise Jedi mentor is killed in a lightsaber duel with a Sith, leaving the boy to be trained by someone else. The boy then pilots a ship to destroy the enemy space station to save the day and become a hero to the amazement of all. I don’t see how this is anymore “copying” than what TFA did. So they both have stormtroopers small talking to one another. That’s a small detail that’s inconsequential. The Phantom Menace has just as much similarity to A New Hope as TFA does, if not more. But because of the different aesthetics, it’s more difficult for some people to make that comparison.

          • May 14, 2016 at 7:41 am
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            Satire? Are fanboyism? Because PM does not share as many si ularities as TFA.

          • May 14, 2016 at 5:53 pm
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            Was any of what I said not true? Did all of those things not happen in both movies? Go check out the final shots of both movies and explain how Phantom is not copying A New Hope.

          • May 15, 2016 at 4:54 pm
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            So by this logic TFA is as crappy as TPM

          • May 15, 2016 at 11:01 pm
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            We’re not talking about overall quality – we’re talking about similarity in storylines – only one aspect of the movie.

          • May 14, 2016 at 3:22 am
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            They should have had Rey pilot an X-Wing and destroy Starkiller.

          • May 14, 2016 at 9:11 am
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            Seriously? That is what is called a homage, not copying. That little Easter egg made me smile, it didn’t take me out at all. There is a big difference between copying and giving homage.

            The whole Kelvin Ridge thing took me out more, because it is well known that JJ Abrams crams that name into every Bad Robot movie released. USS Kelvin, Kelvin Ridge, Kelvin Gas (10 Cloverfield Lane) etc.

          • May 14, 2016 at 7:09 pm
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            That Kelvin reference in 10 Cloverfield Lane was for me really indulgent because he didn’t even direct that film

          • May 14, 2016 at 7:21 pm
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            Agreed, it just made me roll my eyes in irritation.

      • May 13, 2016 at 9:25 pm
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        There are limits…

        • May 13, 2016 at 10:10 pm
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          When you are trying to revive a beloved franchise that was derided for the direction the previous installments took away from the core of what the originals were so loved for, you have to make it similar. You are bringing it back from being driven off a cliff. You are resurrecting it. You are setting up what will become a new trilogy that will move things in a different direction. You need to go backwards before you can go forward.

          • May 14, 2016 at 7:06 pm
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            In other words: If the pilot of a plane is drunk and in a death spiral, and someone grabs the controls, they get the plane level again, they don’t start showing off how good they are at stunt flying.

      • May 14, 2016 at 3:20 am
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        If there was an internet when the originals were released I can only imagine the complaining.

  • May 13, 2016 at 6:07 pm
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    I am going to get chills bad if Kylo Ren ascends the Jedi Steps with his theme playing.

    • May 14, 2016 at 2:09 am
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      Damn I got chills just thinking about it

  • May 13, 2016 at 6:53 pm
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    The First Order attacks Lukes hideout – Luke sacrifices himself in a battle with Kylo Ren so that Rey can escape.

    • May 13, 2016 at 7:25 pm
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      Luke’s killed off in the first act of Episode VIII? Think there’s little chance of that happening.

      • May 13, 2016 at 7:33 pm
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        Do you really? The reason he was only at the end of VII was because he’d steal the show. Turning him into a martyr to make the “supporting” cast (because let’s face it, with Luke there, they basically WILL be supporting cast) look better is the way to go.

        • May 13, 2016 at 7:59 pm
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          A non-speaking cameo role in TFA, followed by an early exit in Episode VIII? The Force Awakens was building up to the re-introduction of Luke, to kill him off so quickly in Episode VIII, I don’t see it. Agree he’ll be a martyr, but not in the first act.

          • May 13, 2016 at 8:02 pm
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            People are already mad enough that he was barely in TFA (barley is a huge understatement), to kill him in the first act would be a huge disservice to the fans. If he is killed off it is in act 3 or in Episode 9 and becomes one with the force.

          • May 13, 2016 at 8:11 pm
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            Very much agree. I hope, and think he’ll make it through to Episode IX.

          • May 15, 2016 at 6:02 am
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            Actually, “barley” is a plant, not an understatement.

        • May 14, 2016 at 7:36 am
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          They only needed to do that once. They’ve said the movies will answer who is Luke Skywalker. If he is a absent father who shows up one last time to die, I’m going back to EU as my official cannon. Because that’s lame as truck.

      • May 14, 2016 at 12:18 am
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        How about we all wait for the movie to be filmed, edited and released before we re-write it?

        • May 14, 2016 at 1:19 am
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          What’s the fun in that? Speculation is fun! We are all willing, and more than half-expecting, to be wrong. 🙂

          FYI – Han shot first damnit! 😛

      • May 14, 2016 at 1:17 am
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        Luke may get captured so that Rey can escape, or vice versa. It is also possible Kylo Ren arrives after Luke and Rey leave – but I wouldn’t count on that.

        I agree though, it would be unlikely for Luke to die in Ep8 (far more likely in Ep 9).

  • May 13, 2016 at 7:31 pm
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    interesting that ridley and driver were hiding.. they obviously knew people would recognize them? three weeks is decent amount of time to film- i’m excited for whatever epic scenes they film there!

    • May 14, 2016 at 1:15 am
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      I’m wondering if they’re not trying to hide who they are, but how they look (perhaps it could give away Ep 8 plot?)

      • May 14, 2016 at 9:56 am
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        i mean, driver has no beard and he has the kylo ren hair.. and daisy looks like.. daisy.. who also looks like rey. we’ll see..

  • May 13, 2016 at 8:09 pm
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    Are they doing the entire episode on that damned planet? Jeez

    • May 13, 2016 at 9:26 pm
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      Sarcasm?

      • May 14, 2016 at 2:21 pm
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        not really, just I want space battles and as nany different planets as possible.

    • May 14, 2016 at 6:24 am
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      They shot for weeks inside the studios and the grounds there.

  • May 13, 2016 at 9:17 pm
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    “I see it. I see the island.”

  • May 13, 2016 at 11:56 pm
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    I love how Daisy and Adam are trying to hide their faces and all while Mark is having fun xd

  • May 14, 2016 at 1:14 am
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    This is HUGE!!!! Kylo Ren will be on Ahch-To, perhaps the same time as Rey and Luke? Oh boy!! 😀

  • May 14, 2016 at 2:14 am
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    Someone needs to leak some set photos of kylo..I’m dying to know if he’s getting some new robes, and curious to see how the scar is looking now!! AHHHH THIS WAITING BLOWWSSS

  • May 14, 2016 at 3:58 am
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    Belfast

    Belfast

    When the country rings the leaving bell you’re lost

    Belfast

    Belfast

    When the hate you have

    For one another’s past

    You can try (You can try)

    You can try (You can try)

    You can try

    To tell the world the reason why

    Belfast

    Belfast

    Belfast

  • May 17, 2016 at 10:09 am
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    Good! The 3 coolest people in this film together

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