Two developments from the upcoming Star Wars: Episode IX have emerged at more or less the same time, leading to some speculation that the timing was no accident.
To explain, we start with John Boyega. The actor known for playing Finn recently shared an Instagram story which confirmed his arrival in Jordan. Sources have since indicated that the star’s photos place him very close to the Wadi Rum region, where some images from a few weeks ago revealed the setting for a desert planet.
Meanwhile, over at Pinewood Studios in England, work has begun on some new sets. While the designs are still under construction, MakingStarWars.net has suggested that these locations could be connected to the activity in Jordan, since director J.J. Abrams has a habit of shooting his scenes mostly in order.
You can decide for yourself whether there’s credence to this idea, but either way, the Pinewood set photos are viewable below, along with the Mosque in Jordan that Boyega photographed.
These images may not give us a lot to go on, but so long as the team at Lucasfilm aren’t sharing official details, set material like this may be the best alternative we’ve got to all the rumors that continue to circulate the web. Those desert pics from Jordan, for example, have led to some predictions that next year’s trilogy-closer could be taking the action back to Jakku, though it’s also worth noting that this same region was used for the Jedha scenes in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
In any case, we’ll find out why Boyega’s made the trip and what, if anything, it has to do with those sets in Pinewood when Star Wars: Episode IX comes out on December 20th, 2019.