Walt Disneys Star Wars has begun shooting in Abu Dhabi. This is the seventh installment of the popular Sci-Fi movie series but the first under the Walt Disney brand. Alan Horn, Chairman of Disneys film unit, confirmed some secondary scenes have already been shot in the emirate. UK-based Pinewood Studios will be the primary location […]
Walt Disneys Star Wars has begun shooting in Abu Dhabi. This is the seventh installment of the popular Sci-Fi movie series but the first under the Walt Disney brand.
Alan Horn, Chairman of Disneys film unit, confirmed some secondary scenes have already been shot in the emirate. UK-based Pinewood Studios will be the primary location of the film, where most of the shooting will take place.
The challenge is to have pictures that can travel, Horn said emphasising the importance of the faster-growing international box-office.
Weve learned that these tentpole movies are most desired all around the world.
We have all these locations we have to film and we have to give it that Star Wars-ian look, Horn said. So we need to go to different places that give us the right look and feel.
twofour54, the most likely partner in the franchise’s Abu Dhabi project, declined to comment on the status of the shoot.
The film has a scheduled release date of December 18, 2015, and is the first part of a planned third trilogy in the franchise. The first film, Star Wars: A New Hope, was made in 1977, and had two follow ups, The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi. A second trilogy, a prequel to the first films, was released from 1999-2005.
Lucasfilm, the makers of Star Wars, was purchased in 2012 by Disney in a $4.05 bn bet on the franchise created by George Lucas.
