‘Star Wars’ Will Begin Filming in 2014 in London
J.J. Abrams will be headed to London to begin shooting for the upcoming Star Wars movie in early 2014, but the director isn’t too pleased with the overseas move. Though Abrams will move to London at the end of the year, the Star Trek: Into Darkness director has shot all his previous films in Los Angeles and lives there with his family. He even spent his own money to cover the cost of staying in Los Angeles for Into Darkness.
Abrams shared his anxieties on moving with the Produced By conference in Los Angeles, saying the filming in Britain “really does make me insane.” He also shared his children’s reaction. “When you’re 13 and 14, it’s like, ‘Fuck that, I don’t care what the movie is,'” Abrams said, according to The Guardian.
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Despite Abrams’ reluctance, Disney’s decision to film in London has historical precedent: All six previous Star Wars films were made at least in part in the U.K., and Abrams is mindful of the series’ legacy and significance to fans. “It is so massive and so important to people,” Abrams said. “I think the key to moving forward on something like this is honoring but not revering what came before.”
Star Wars: Episode VII is expected in 2015, with two sequels following in 2017 and 2019. Parent company Disney, which bought Lucasfilm and the rights to Star Wars last October, is also expected to release stand alone spin-off films around characters like Yoda, Han Solo or Boba Fett in between episodes in the forthcoming main trilogy. Toy Story 3 writer Michael Ardnt has been tapped to pen the Episode VII screenplay.