Here we go again, Benicio Del Toro is back at it with another soundbyte about his mysterious role in Star Wars Episode VIII. We’ve long speculated that the Guardians of the Galaxy scene stealer and star of the upcoming film Sicario, would be a Sith-like villain…or at least a Dark Side type character. Well, now thanks to an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Del Toro’s role in Episode VIII is now not as clear as we previously thought.
I actually love how he dances around the topic here. “I don’t know if he’s a villain. People are saying that, but it’s like they read a different script than I read.” He kind of stutters and stammers a little bit, almost as if he’s been chastised by someone in the upper echelon of the Disney/Lucasfilm ranks, or maybe even the director of Episode VIII himself, Rian Johnson. Although, with all we know about Episode VIII, it would appear as if Johnson is not as secretive as J.J. Abrams is with The Force Awakens.
Speaking of filming Star Wars Episode VIII. Reports are coming in from Ireland from website The Movie Bit that The Force Awakens stars Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker – DUH) is near Skellig Michael, preparing to film some scenes. We’ve already reported that the weather and high winds have kept boats away from the protected island but that hasn’t kept director Rian Johnson and his stars from preparing. Mark’s son — Nathan Hamill — posted this and other shots of Skellig Michael to his Instagram account, this week.
Warning: SPOILERS AFTER
This is all very exciting, and to add a little more cool news, it appears as if a certain droid or droids has joined Luke on Skellig.
"“Contrary to our earlier information, it now turns out that it wasn’t Kenny Baker, but indeed Jimmy Vee who has played all kinds of characters in the likes of Doctor Who. He also stars in the forthcoming Pan. Vee now seems a likely replacement for Kenny Baker and will no doubt be rocking (literally) the R2 unit. Funningly [sic] enough, Vee is not listed anywhere to be starring in Episode VIII, so whether or not he’s a last minute stand in for Kenny Baker, is unknown.”"
We will keep you posted, as the news keeps rolling in.