'Star Wars: Episode 9': Scouting team reportedly in California

A picture of Domhnall Gleeson as General Hux in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." Facebook/Star Wars

Location scouting for “Star Wars: Episode 9” continues. The team is already considering locations in Spain and Peru, and now they are said to have added California to the list.

The Pinnacles National Park in California is being considered as a location in the upcoming film, according to a report by Mike Zeroh (see below). The park is a mountainous region that can be used to depict a green, forested planet.

Locations in California have been used extensively in “Star Wars” before. Some areas in the state that were shot as alien worlds in “Return of the Jedi” are Redwood National Park, Death Valley National Park, Buttercup Valley, Marin County, Smith River and Crescent City.

Mike believes that the producers are looking to introduce a new unique planet in the upcoming film. Pinnacles National Park may be standing in for this new world.

The return to California is important since almost all filming for “The Last Jedi” happened in locations outside the US. The cast and crew travelled as far as Croatia, Bolivia, Ireland and England for outdoor shots.

Will the new planet that Pinnacles National Park depicts be controlled by the Resistance, or will it belong to the First Order? The next film will conclude the new trilogy, so Director J.J. Abrams will have to find a way to end the journeys of Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and in an exciting way.

“Star Wars: Episode 9” is set to be released on Dec. 20, 2019 in the US. The producers are yet to announce an exact release date in Australia.