As you probably saw on the 6.1 News last night, Ceann Sibeal down in the Dingle Penninsula is preparing itself to feel the Force.
A cavalcade of technical equipment, trailers and who-knows-what is currently rolling its way towards Ceann Sibeal as the production for Episode VIII continues onward. As we reported a few months ago, Ceann Sibeal has been turned into a replica of Skellig Micheal - complete with the monastic huts on the island.
Due to the problems with access and ecological effects of the production, director Rian Johnson and his production team opted to have Ceann Sibeal double for Skellig Micheal and took measurements of the distinctive huts so as to replicate them further down the coast.
What's more, secrecy around the area is incredibly tight. Security teams have already been put in place around the peninsula and, more importantly, a strict no-fly zone has been imposed over Ceann Sibeal. That, more importantly, includes drone cameras. The production of Rogue One was interrupted by drone cameras as fans, desperate to see what was going on, flew them over the walls of Pinewood Studios.
Since then, Lucasfilm has attempted to mitigate potential set leaks by imposing strict security details around their sets. The no-fly zone is said to be in place over Ceann Sibeal until May 26th, which we're assuming is when production wraps in Ceann Sibeal and Ireland entirely.
We'll keep our eyes peeled to the West for any leaks or bits of news. In the meantime, fly casual.
