‘Star Wars 8’ Production Begins, Stars Share Workout Pictures And Rumors Fly

It’s official. Production for Star Wars VIII has begun.

The Inquisitr has reported on Tuesday that production has officially begun on Episode VIII .

“The Star Wars: Episode VIII release date has been confirmed to be December 15, 2017. It is a ways away, but that gives fans more time to get hyped up. Because it’s a long wait, it will be all the sweeter when Episode VIII does hit.”

Although the wait will be a long one until the much-anticipated sequel hits theaters, the actors are now a little more free to share their Star Wars experience with fans, even if that experience is only their gym workouts.

When they were cast, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Oscar Isaac started working out specifically for Episode VII . This is not surprising when one considers the amount of physical fitness necessary to pull off the stunts and visual effects while filming in Abu Dhabi.

Daisy Ridley was pushed particularly hard, but seemingly she was more than ready to meet the athletic requirements. Ridley, through her performance as Rey, has proved herself to be a committed and worthy actress. The world was amazed to hear about her fitness regimen, which involved four hours in the gym, four days a week and a diet of vegetables and fish.

“[Ridley] also followed a diet of ‘lots of fish, legumes, and spirulina shakes,’” Business Insider reported .

Watching Daisy Ridley workout just might inspire many viewers sitting on the couch to get up, drop and do (at least) 50 push-ups.

In the last few weeks, Ridley has been posting workout videos and pictures on her Instagram profile.

Ridley’s co-star, fellow Brit John Boyega, also hit the gym to prepare for his role as Finn.

Recently, John Boyega has been sharing photos from his training for Episode VIII via Instagram . Boyega has stepped it up for VIII , saying that his role will be more physically demanding in the upcoming film.

After filming Episode VII , Boyega sought out trainer Corey Calliet who helped him get ripped in 21 days.

Business Insider reported that the workout consisted of four sets of 20 assisted pull-ups, four sets of 20 lat-pull downs, cardio including stairs and suicides, and four sets of 20 stiff-leg dead lifts. The result? Boyega was fit and ready for the press tours for VII.

Now that production has started, Boyega is back at it and hitting the gym with friend and co-star Oscar Isaac.

In the background, listeners can hear Isaac yelling, “Yeah, baby! Go on!”

This brings fans back to the issue of Finn and Poe. There have been many rumors and fan theories about a possible romance between the two male leads. Originally, Boyega denied any claims, insisting that their characters were just friends.

John Boyega Opens Up About the Possibility of a Finn/Poe Romance in #StarWarsEpisodeVIII . https://t.co/QoBmIo2s1R pic.twitter.com/2RWsWpFc22

— The Mary Sue (@TheMarySue) February 18, 2016

After receiving the Rising Star Award at the BAFTAs, Boyega told Radio Times that he cannot say anything for sure about Finn and Poe’s relationship.

“What’s so funny, I posted a video the other day of myself working out, skipping, and in the background Oscar is just like, ‘Yeah baby go on!’ and people just went crazy. But as far as I’m concerned, when J.J. [Abrams] sat us down to go through the script, it was a bromance. But now I’m learning what Mark Hamill said before when he didn’t know that Darth Vader was Luke’s father: you never know what they’re going to pull. […] So who knows?”

While we wait for the much-anticipated release of Star Wars: Episode VIII, it’s a comfort for fans to follow the stars and speculate about the various fan theories and rumors flooding social media sites.

[Photo by Hu Chengwei/Stringer/Getty Images]