Star Wars: Episode IX supposedly began shooting this week and unsurprisingly, rumors about the final entry in the Sequel Trilogy have now found their way online. Disney and Lucasfilm have yet to confirm any of the information as fact, of course, but some of it concerns the return of a familiar location from A New Hope.
Earlier this month, it was reported that J.J. Abrams and his crew were going back to the Cardington Airship Sheds in Bedfordshire, England. If you’ll recall, this is where the Rebel Alliance’s base on Yavin 4 was first brought to life. Now, some new leaks hint that Rey, Finn and Poe Dameron will come under attack from the First Order here. Not only that, but if sources are to be believed, the resulting battle – which is said to be quite big – could even see the base on Yavin 4 destroyed once and for all.
Here’s how MovieWeb puts it:
“We have been learning more about [Star Wars: Episode IX] when it comes to a shoot over at Cardington…in one of the sheds for a shoot that is to begin next week. This scene will feature a large green screen that will be used for a chase scene involving Finn, Poe, and Rey. Pyrotechnics will be used, along with practical effects. Many extras will be dressed as pilots and civilians. The shoot…is said to be going on for five days for this…scene.”
This leak is intriguing, to say the least, as the potential inclusion of Yavin 4 would be an excellent callback to the original Star Wars. Not to mention it would just be nice to return there and the scene in question sounds pretty exciting. As we said above, though, this report’s being filed strictly in the rumor cabinet for now, until we get some firm confirmation on its authenticity one way or the other.
In the meantime, what we can tell you with absolute certainty is that Star Wars: Episode IX will be with us on December 20th, 2019, and franchise veterans like Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac and Billy Dee Williams (!) will be joined by newcomer Keri Russell, who just landed a mystery role in the Abrams-directed threequel.