Over the last few days there have been tents set up around Dubrovnik for the filming of Star Wars: Episode VIII. Most of the articles we have researched at MakingStarWars.net state that Benicio Del Toro will be filming in Dubrovnik. There is almost a hysteria about him being in the location but below are the best of the articles we found. At this point there is not a lot of strong evidence to back it up the Del Toro rumors. The one thing that is for sure is that a lot of people believe he will be filming there really soon based on the articles and people we’ve spoken to over the last several days.

A little taste of the rumors that Benicio Del Toro is going to film in Dubrovnik. The following quote is translated in to English and therefore may not read well.

Recording in Dubrovnik is scheduled to last for seven days, and it is rumored to Dubrovnik could host Benicio Del Toro, which is offered the role of villain.

From vijesti.rtl.hr:

Scenes will be shot at the Stradun, Banja Beach and Rector’s Palace.

At this point we haven’t seen any evidence he’s in the area, just to be clear. There were also rumors of Carrie Fisher near the location, but according to her twitter she was no where in the area and by all accounts it seems too early for that. The people of Dubrovnik are really excited to have Star Wars: Episode VIII in Dubrovnik and that really gets the rumors flying. With filming having not yet begun, I found it unlikely that Del Toro would be there yet but a lot of the rumors state that he’s vacationing in the area to experience the culture (which still seems unlikely considering the lack of evidence).

In factual news, a setup on the harbor has been erected, which is believed to be for seven days of filming in March. Here are some pictures of the setup during the day and night:

From 24 Sata who also discuss the Del Toro rumor and add another photo to the mix:

 Rumor has come to Dubrovnik that actor Benicio Del Toro will be there but has not yet confirmed whether he will play the villain in the film.

According to jutarnji.hr:

Due to the recording of the spectacle, special traffic regulations have been established, and will close the shop in Stradun, says the production.

And once again, they believe Del Toro will be there.

If Star Wars: Episode VIII does have Del Toro there it would seem that the filming is probably unlikely to be for Ahch-To filming, unless the bad guys find the location in VIII. The first rumors that presented the Del Toro casting said he was to play a new villain. Based on the locations we have seen so far in Dubrovnik, it seems like these locations will represent a new planet in the Star Wars universe if we had to make a bet.

We will continue to research the news stories coming out of Dubrovnik to hopefully dig up some interesting news over the next month.

Thanks to Kevan for all his help.