Turns out a galaxy far, far away is just across the pond: “Star Wars: Episode VII” will be filmed in the U.K.
Lucasfilm announced this week that the newest installment of the classic sci-fi series would shoot in Britain, bringing the franchise back to its roots. Filming on all six of the previous “Star Wars” films took place in the U.K., starting with the very first installment, 1977's “Episode IV: A New Hope.”
“We've devoted serious time and attention to revisiting the origins of ‘Star Wars' as inspiration for our process on the new movie, and I'm thrilled that returning to the U.K. for production and utilizing the incredible talent there can be a part of that,” said Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy.
Lucasfilm representatives met with U.K. officials earlier this year to hammer out an agreement to move production there, which included talks with Chancellor George Osborne. Osborne touted Britain's lucrative tax incentives -- studios can recoup up to 80 percent of production costs if at least 25 percent of their film budget is spent in the U.K. -- as a way to entice filmmakers overseas.
“I think it is a real vote of confidence in Britain's creative industries and a big movie like that -- one of the most famous, perhaps the most famous movie franchise in the world -- brings with it not just jobs for actors and directors and so on, but for all the other people who have put together an enormous movie,” Osborne said.
Though Lucasfilm has not confirmed just where in the U.K. the film will shoot, fan websites have speculated one location may be Pinewood Studios, near London. The Sun newspaper also reports that scenes may be shot in Scotland's Highlands and the Isle of Skye.
“Star Wars: Episode VII,” directed by J.J. Abrams, is due out sometime in 2015.
[via BBC and The Sun h/t Fark]
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