The Minister for Arts, Heritage & Gaeltacht, Heather Humphries, has announced that Lucasfilm will be allowed to return to Skellig Michael, where they’ve already shot scenes for the latest installment in the epic Star Wars franchise, The Force Awakens.
An Taisce had complained that the filming posed a threat to the local bird population, but the Minister says Lucasfilm will have to adhere to strict environmental guidelines.
Filming on the UNESCO World Heritage Site island, which last year resulted in 70 part-time jobs, will take place in September with The Force Awakens hitting screens before Christmas.
Meanwhile, author Chuck Wendig has revealed that the new Star Wars novel, Aftermath, will feature the franchise’s first gay character, Sinjir Rath Velus, an Imperial turncoat who serves the Rebellion.
“I don’t think that his sexuality needs to be this giant plot point, but at the same time, it’s part of who he is as a character, and I thought it was an interesting moment,” he tells Entertainment Weekly. “Especially since you don’t necessarily see it as much – not just in Star Wars but just in science-fiction… comics are just starting to figure out that that [LGBT men and women] exist in the world.”