'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Cast, Trailer & Release Date: Episode VIII to Start Filming This Month

It's a known fact that "Star Wars" will be shooting its next trilogy simultaneously, and it seems that initial reports about regrouping for reshoots in Ireland are erroneous. Entertainment Weekly reported that Lucasfilm already corrected the news, saying that they are actually beginning to shoot sequences for the yet-to-be-titled Episode VIII.

Heather Humphries, the Arts Minister of Ireland confirmed the news, addressing concerns about how the production company will handle the shooting. According to RTE, ecologists and observers from the National Parks and Wildlife Service ad the National Monuments Service will be present in the area as they monitor the project to protect archeological sites and wildlife habitats. This is in line to the production's agreement with the Irish ministry to honor strict guidelines in site protection.

According to the Irish Times, the island where "Star Wars" is shooting is a UNESCO Heritage Site and tourism is severely restricted. The island is home to the ruins of a small monastery that was occupied for around 600 years until the 12th century, which, according to EW is probably the reason the film is intent on shooting there. It is also home to many species of animals and lush vegetation, which has led to a lot of protests from the Irish environmental group, A Taisce.

Lucasfilm mentioned that the confusion comes with the production's desire to stay low-key, using the "Star Wars" title, without differentiating between films.

This is in contrast to Cinema Blend's report that the film will not begin shooting until next year, although there they did also say that there is a possibility that the crew is going there early to get exterior shots.

But while we won't see anything about "Star Wars Episode VIII" until 2017, there is less than 100 days left until the release of "The Force Awakens, although there are even fewer days for European Fans to wait. While the release date has been set in the US and Canada for December 18, The Guardian reported that the next installment of the sci-fi franchise will premiere on Thursday, December 17 in the UK and on December 16 in France.

However, the first nation to see the film will be the United Arab Emirates, where most of the desert planet scenes were shot last year -- they will see the film a full three days ahead of the Americans, with the release date set for December 15.

Whichever country you're in, though, how excited are you now that the official countdown has begun?