Do you remember leaked photos of Star Wars filming in Dubrovnik that showed a weird reptilian alien? If not, here’s one to refresh your memory.

Actors on the set in Dubrovnik, photo DailyMail

Well, apparently, this is the character from The Force Awakens! As one fan under the screen name of temtam noticed and posted on TheForce.net forums, the same type of alien can be seen in one of the “new cantina” scenes on The Force Awakens Blu-ray extra. He posted the following screenshot as proof.

Aliens getting prepared, photo Theforce Forums

Perhaps the production people found the mask too good not to re-use, especially if the character didn’t make the final cut of TFA at all… and I don’t remember it did.

Some leaked footage from the filming of Star Wars Episode VIII in Dubrovnik is still surfacing even though the production moved out of our town almost two weeks ago. The video below, published by Dubrovnik Times, shows what is supposed to be a production car with a camera crane, accelerating brutally during the filming.

Dubrovnik Times goes on by saying, the word on the street is the car in question was modified specifically to be able to achieve quick acceleration for the filming needs… and here we were thinking it was just a crane carrier with a slick paint job.

Production camera car, photo Niksa Duper / EPH

As Dubrovnik Times reports famous Croatian graffiti artists Lunar and Lonac made a large Star Wars themed mural on the walls of one of the elementary schools in Dubrovnik’s district of Mokosica. Ever since the filming of Star Wars Episode VIII in Dubrovnik, more and more local chldren have embraced the sci-fi saga and now represent the youngest generation of fans.

Graffiti mural was done by Lunar and Lonac, Croatian graffiti artists, photo Dubrovnik Times

Star Wars graffiti in Dubrovnik’s district of Mokosica, photo Dubrovnik Times

This is the first tandem mural these two graffiti artists have done and the project was accompanied by their street art lecture in Dubrovnik, for which the turn out was apparently very good, as reported by MixMagAdria

The mural shows two cats, a father and son, with father cat playing with his son’s Star Wars x-wing toy while the little one is asleep. It’s a nod to the cult status Star Wars enjoys with its fans and I think the guys really hit the nail on the head with this one.

Lunar, photo MixMagadria

Adam Driver, who embodied the main villain of Star Wars The Force Awakens, Kylo Ren, stated in an interview he can’t wait to get on set of Episode VIII.

Kylo Ren, photo YouTube

In an chat with some of the cast of Midnight Special published by Entertainment Weekly Driver was asked a few questions about his Star Wars experience including how the movie changed his life. The actor was also able to turn the fact he wasn’t allowed to say anything about the Episode VIII being filmed into a joke and overall had a laid back approach to the whole affair.

There are those who feel Kylo Ren is not a good villain for the sequels, but we loved his role here at starwarsdubrovnik.com. What are your feelings about Adam Driver in the role of Star Wars bad guy?

As BuzzFeed reports Daisy Ridley’s audition for the role of Rey in Star Wars The Force Awakens was so powerful the casting directors immediately realised they have the right person for the job.

Daisy Ridley during the audition for The Force Awakens, photo Disney

The role of Rey was demanding on many levels, but perhaps the most challenging part was tied to fans’ expectations. All the new characters to emerge from The Force Awakens needed to continue the tradition of the original trilogy while at the same time introducing some fresh elements into the Star Wars universe. With Daisy Ridley as Rey, the director J.J. Abrams got exactly that and more. Ridley managed to tick all the boxes playing Rey, making the character appear fragile and likeable, but also tough and aggressive when needed. All the while she perfectly sold the idea Rey is in over her head, but compelled to push onwards… as if she was destined to do so.

During the filming of Star Wars Episode VIII in Dubrovnik, we were hoping to see Daisy Ridley on the streets of our fair city, but unfortunately, it was not to be. However, as you may recall, we reported on her stunt double, Chloe Bruce, heading to Dubrovnik at the time of the filming, resurrecting our hopes one of the new favourite Star Wars characters will be seen on Dubrovnik sets in the final product.

Directing Rey, photo Disney

Interesting rumours are coming out regarding the type of sets we are going to see in Star Wars Episode VIII. Ever since the stage was set in Dubrovnik we couldn’t help but wonder what role the city will play in the final product. Even though there were plenty of leaked pictures from the actual set, we are now no closer to answering this question.

Luckily for us MakingStarWars came out with some interesting information (link 1, link 2) about the potential development. Apparently there is a casino scene in planning and the production is to use Pinewood Studios’ James Bond sets to film these. If this turns out to be true, speculations are these scenes could be the interior shots for Dubrovnik filming. In other words, Dubrovnik could represent some sort of Star Wars Vegas in the upcoming Episode VIII. Judging by actors’ apparel on set, this would certainly explain a lot.

Costumes from Dubrovnik filming are quite intriguing, photo DailyMail

Costumes can be described as formal or elegant evening wear, photo Daily Mail

Costumes can be described as formal or elegant evening wear, photo Daily Mail

Still, I don’t really know if I want to see Luke Skywalker gambling.

Filming for Star Wars Episode VIII in Dubrovnik was a gruelling task. The filming itself took around 8 days, but is spanned 6 different locations within the city and was prepared for 3-4 weeks prior to filming and took more than a week to clean it all out after that shooting was over.

Production teams responsible were from both Croatian and international companies along with plenty of outside contractors, extras, and representatives of city services. After the job was successfully completed, some of the hard working men and women most frequently seen on the sets, regardless of the time of day or night, took a well-deserved group photo around one of the rare statues in Dubrovnik’s Old City Centre (one of Marin Drzic – famous local 16th century writer). The group is seen holding toy light sabres on a photo published by local news portal DubrovnikNet.

Hard working team that made Dubrovnik filming possible, photo DubrovnikNet

Congratulations on a job well done!

Easter is widely celebrated in Dubrovnik and this year was no exception. To make matter more fun, it’s a lovely sunny day in Dubrovnik, with plenty foreign guests walking the streets their favourite movie franchise shot on just a few weeks before.

To all those who celebrate it, we wish you a very happy Easter!

Even though the filming of Star Wars Episode VIII in Dubrovnik is over, we are pretty much all still buzzing about the movie and the series in general. My daily SW online fix today came in the form of a short documentary I managed to miss so far (I know, shame on me). Thankfully, it’s available on Mad Digger YouTube Channel. The following clip is over 20 minutes long, but it is absolutely fascinating. It explores the making of Star Wars light sabre duels and the incredible influences, from Japanese Samurai to Errol Flynn’s Robin Hood, which helped George Lucas create THE most iconic sci-fi weapon and style of fighting. Must see for all true Star Wars fans.

Should the veteran actors in Star Wars The Force Awakens have been paid less? Yes, I know, I’m a bad fan for even suggesting it, but when you take into account the difference in salaries between the new lead characters of Daisy Ridley’s Rey and John Boyega’s Finn on one side and veteran stars like Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill, it’s hard not to ask if the huge difference is fair. This is the question posed by MoviePilot’s Chris Moore in a text that discusses a very interesting point.

Apparently (spoilers for The Force Awakens until the end of paragraph), Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) was paid over $1million for his 30 seconds appearance in Episode VII. This seems like a ridiculous amount of money, but the truth is, the entire story of the movie revolved around his character. He is, after all, the leading protagonist of the original story and perhaps the most important character of the saga. To put this into perspective, Daisy Ridley and John Boyega earned between $100,000 and $300,000 for their roles in The Force Awakens.

Luke Skywalker, photo Lucasfilm

On the other hand, the old guns are the one’s all the hype was about before the movie was released and they are the ones generating a lot of sales for DVDs and various other merchandise. Still, new characters have garnered much sympathy from the fans and it is very likely their price is going to rise for the foreseeable future as well. But yeah… over a million for 30 seconds and no lines, way to go Mr. Hamill.

Mark Hamill, Photo Wikipedia