The Official Site announced today that Star Wars Episode VIII has officially begun production.

Star Wars: Episode VIII, which is written and directed by Rian Johnson and continues the storylines introduced in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, welcomes back cast members Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, and Andy Serkis.  New cast members will include Academy Award winner Benicio Del Toro, Academy Award nominee Laura Dern, and talented newcomer Kelly Marie Tran.

Emphasis added. We had heard that Benicio Del Toro was in the running for a role in the film, but I believe this is the first we’ve hard of Laura Dern and Kelly Marie Tran’s attachment.

To assist with the hype, a teaser video was also released with the announcement.