The next installment of the current Star Wars trilogy, "The Last Jedi," is set to be released on cinemas in December. In making this sequel, director Rian Johnson made sure that he was bringing maximum realism to the science fiction franchise by shooting on amazing locations instead of using green screen.
A chunk of the upcoming film was shot at the UNESCO World Heritage Site Skellig Michael Island in Ireland. This was the same island where Rey (Daisy Ridley) traced Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) at the end of the trilogy opener "The Force Awakens."
In the films, the planet named Ahch-To is a lush planet with lots of water and greenery. Within it, an abandoned Jedi Temple lies, and it is where Luke exiled himself for yet-unknown reasons.
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Johnson admitted that using green screen techniques would have been more budget-friendly, but he has had no regrets doing an on-location shoot.
"I'm sure it would have been more economical," the director said. "But it was so worth it to do it the way we did it. We got a feel, we got a vibe, we got a grounded kind of look that we never could have gotten on the green screen."
Johnson also noted that the domed roofs found on the island was the basis of some of the art they used in the upcoming film. "Those domes, that beehive kind of design of the huts, is exactly what's on Skellig," explained Johnson.
Thus, it was the existing, real-world design that actually inspired some of the production design in the "The Last Jedi." "The design was taken straight from Skellig. We wanted to fit in with what was on the islands," the director added.
Incidentally, the architecture found in Skellig Michael resembled the design of the houses found in Luke Skywalker's home planet of Tatooine.
"Star Wars: The Last Jedi" will premiere on theater on Dec. 15.
