Shooting will begin May 14th in Morocco, if the rumour mill speaks sooth.
Once upon a time in Morocco there was a budding young film director, George Lucas by name, who built a bunch of sets out in the desert and called it Tatooine. If reports are to be believed, J.J. Abrams intends to return to Lucas’ old Moroccan haunts, and start filming May 14th. A May date isn’t much of a surprise – Disney’s already made it very clear that this one will STICK TO THE SCHEDULE OR EVERYONE INVOLVED WILL BE SHOT, and May was always part of the schedule – but a return to Morocco is a very interesting idea.
Lucas’ old sets are still there, more or less, as you can see in the gallery, and if Morocco is on the schedule then presumably so is Tunisia, since those are the two places the original’s Tatooine scenes were shot. The sets’ weatherbeaten look may even be an asset, depending on what Abrams has in mind for them. As for how much reliance should be placed on these news nuggets, who knows? This is a film almost nobody apart from Abrams – and presumably Disney – knows anything about.
Not a single cast member has been confirmed, though there are plenty of names being talked about. There is a script, and if Abrams’ hints are any indication the old gang – Ford, Fisher and Hamill – will be reprising their iconic roles. But as for what they’re doing, and where, your guess is as good as anyone else’s.
