New photos show "Star Wars" crew members moving what could be a piece of "Episode VII" set into a tent in Abu Dhabi.
The telling photo shows a huge, circular, platform being moved into a tented storage area in the desert near Qasr Al Sarab resort, with several crew members assisting.
The giant disc looks similar to an All-Terrain Armored Transport (AT-AT) walker's foot, or part of an escape pod. As some bloggers have pointed out, R2D2 and C3P0 crashed in an escape pod onto Luke Skywalker's home planet, Tatooine, in the original "Star Wars" film.
The possibility of the disc being part of an escape pod has fueled rumors that "Star Wars: Episode VII" will take place, at least partially, on Tatooine.
The original Tatooine set was built in Tunisia, and remains mostly intact as a tourist attraction. There has been chatter that another Tatooine would be built in a "Morocco-like" environment. The Abu Dhabi desert certainly qualifies.
The new Tatooine may also have some new visitors. Adam Driver of HBO's "Girls," and Academy Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong'o are rumored to be joining the "Star Wars" cast. Actors Peter Mayhew Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie are expected to return in their icon roles.
There are also reports that Abu Dhabi crewmembers have already been hired for the Disney production, although many locals stated that they have not noticed any construction or other unusual activity.
"I live around here," a farmer told The National. "It's totally my home area and I'm sure if anything as big as that was going on I'd know about it."
"Star Wars" director J.J. Abrams is notorious for keeping details of his film private, though. Misinformation was purposely fed regarding "Star Trek Into Darkness"—such as the denial of Benedict Cumberbatch playing Khan—and Abrams reportedly blacked out his windows while working on the "Star Wars" script.
Fans may have to wait one more year to find out whether the activity in the desert is the creation of a new Tatooine. "Star Wars: Episode VII" is scheduled to be released December 18, 2015.
