Laura Dern Cast in 'Star Wars: Episode VIII' as London Filming Begins — Watch the First Video From Set!

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Laura Dern in 2014 (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

Benicio Del Toro, Laura Dern and newcomer Kelly Marie Tran have joined the cast of Star Wars: Episode VIII, which started filming in London on Monday.

Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, and Andy Serkis are all returning for the follow up to The Force Awakens.

Rian Johnson wrote and will direct the film, which continues from the events of The Force Awakens. Star Wars: Episode VIII is produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Ram Bergman and executive produced by J.J. Abrams, Jason McGatlin, and Tom Karnowski.

Related: ‘Star Wars’ Star Power: Will 'Force Awakens’ Actors Become Harrison Fords or Hayden Christensens?

Disney and Lucasfilm also released a first teaser for the film (watch below). Star Wars: Episode VIII is slated for release Dec. 15, 2017.

Disney and Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens, released into theaters in December, has earned $2.02 billion worldwide to date.

Del Toro was most recently seen in Sicario, Inherent Vice and Guardians of the Galaxy. He’s repped by CAA, LBI Entertainment and Hansen, Jacobson.

Dern’s credits include 99 Homes and Wild, and she’s recently worked on Sundance film Certain Women and The Founder with Michael Keaton. She’s repped by CAA, Untitled Entertainment and Gang, Tyre.

Tran is a relative newcomer (as was Ridley when she was first hired to star in the franchise). Her credits include the Netflix’s indie XOXO with Sarah Hyland and the College Humor series. She has recurring credits on TV shows like NBC’s About A Boy, Amazon’s Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street and TruTV’s Adam Ruins Everything. She’s repped by Talent House LA and Arc Artist Management.