Han Solo: A Star Wars Story just started principal photography this week and Star Wars: The Last Jedi is still in the edit bay with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story still in its theatrical release, but that doesn’t mean we can’t look to the future – to 2019 to be exact, and Star Wars: Episode IX. With overlapping schedules and yearly releases, the time is approaching for Episode IX to get underway.
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According to MovieCastingCall.org, Episode IX, from director Colin Trevorrow, will start filming in July 2017. That would likely be right at the wrap date of Han Solo, unless the standalone film has a shorter production schedule than the Saga films. Last year, Star Wars: The Last Jedi (then known simply as Episode VIII) began filming February 15, 2016, and wrapped in mid-July, right around the time of Star Wars Celebration Europe in London.
If accurate, that could also indicate that Episode IX, currently scheduled merely for a 2019 release, is aiming for the last weekend of May in 2019 (the originally rumored date). While Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and Star Wars: The Last Jedi all have or had December releases, Han Solo returns to the classic Star Wars release of May when it debuts May 25, 2018 (the 41st anniversary of Star Wars to the day, incidentally). The Last Jedi had precisely one year and ten months from production start to release – if Episode IX is afforded the same, that means it’s coming out in May 2019.
The casting call, as first reported on by Omega Underground, is general, and doesn’t reveal any specific roles or open casting dates, simply submission instructions to Nina Gold Casting (the agency responsible for recent Star Wars film casting). Extras casting has not yet been scheduled, either. The notice does reveal that once again, as expected, production will commence primarily at Pinewood Studios in London, the site of all Star Wars filming.
Star Wars: Episode IX is in pre-production now under director Colin Trevorrow, off a script by Trevorrow and Derek Connolly (Episode VIII writer/director Rian Johnson contributed to the story), as the team and Lucasfilm also deal with the recent and unexpected death of actress Carrie Fisher, likely changing their plans for General Leia Organa significantly. The only current logline for the movie is: “The upcoming ninth film in the Star Wars saga and the final film in the sequel trilogy,” so don’t expect any riveting story details out of notices like these.
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