Kathleen Kennedy has confirmed the entire 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' cast will be returning for 'Episode VIII'.
Just as the highly anticipated sci-fi sequel is hitting cinemas, the Lucasfilm President has revealed the next instalment starts shooting in January and the acclaimed cast of young and old stars such as John Boyega, Daisy Ridley and Anthony Daniels will be back.
Speaking exclusively to BANG Showbiz at the European premiere of 'Star Wars: The Force' Awakens in London's Leicester Square on Wednesday night, she said: "There will be a handful of new cast members in 'Episode VIII' but also all the cast members you see here tonight will be in it as well. We're excited to get back together. We start shooting 'Episode VIII' in January, we've been prepping the movie for the last year and (writer-and-director) Rian Johnson has been doing an amazing job."
The 62-year-old producer has been running on adrenaline promoting the movie across the world and now she has seen the fantastic reviews for the film she is ready to breathe a "sigh of relief" in the knowledge that she, the cast, crew and director J.J. Abrams have realised their dream of bringing 'Star Wars' back with a bang.
She said: "Now the movie opening here (in the UK) and then in the United States on Friday (18.12.15), I'm just about to have that sigh of relief. It's an adrenaline high right now. When we landed on the plane after coming here we started reading the reviews - it's pretty exciting."
Kennedy was joined at the premiere - one of the biggest London has ever hosted - by all the cast of the film including Boyega, Ridley, Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver and Lupita Nyong'o.
Other stars in attendance included Noel Gallagher and his wife Sara MacDonald, who were accompanied by his daughter Anais and their son Donovan, Benedict Cumberbatch and his spouse Sophie Hunter, Brooklyn Beckham, James Blunt and Stephen Fry.
The European premiere:
Female First