The filming for the eight installments in the "Star Wars" movie franchise has already begun. Also, producers have also named the new cast members for the upcoming film.

As noted in the official "Star Wars" blog, Episode VIII will follow the main characters Rey, Finn and Poe as they begin their new adventure with Luke Skywalker. Of course, given the events featured in the last film, these characters are expected to go up against the remnants of the First Order led by Adam Driver as Kylo Ren and Domhnall Gleeson as General Hux.

Also, based on the announcement by the producers, it seems fans will still get to see Captain Phasma in the upcoming film since Gwendoline Christie, more popularly known for her work on HBO's "Game of Thrones," will return to join the cast.

But aside from the returning characters and actors, probably one of the most interesting announcements made by the producers are the newcomers in the film. These include Laura Dern, Kelly Marie Tran and Benicio Del Toro.

Unfortunately, production company Lucasfilm did not mention any details regarding the nature of the characters these new cast members will be playing. Still, it would be interesting to see what they can contribute to the franchise since they already have a strong following of their previous works, such as "The Usual Suspects" and "Guardians of the Galaxy" for Del Toro and "Jurassic Park" for Dern.

Tran, on the other hand, is known for appearing in various television and online projects such as "About a Boy," "Ladies Like Us" and in videos released by College Humor, according to IGN.

As for the upcoming film, it does not yet have an official title, but it's scheduled to hit theaters on Dec. 15, 2017. It's being helmed by Rian Johnson, who is created for directing the films "The Brothers Bloom" in 2008 and "Looper" in 2012, which starred Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He also directed three episodes for the television series "Breaking Bad."

The filming of "Star Wars: Episode VIII" officially began on Feb. 16 at London's Pinewood Studios.

Aside from the actors and actresses mentioned above, other celebrities who will be returning for the upcoming film include Andy Serkis, Carrie Fisher, Anthony Daniels, Lupita Nyong'o, Peter Mayhew, Mike Quinn, Timothy Rose and Jimmy Lee.

Mark Hamill, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Oscar Isaac will also reprise their roles as Luke, Rey, Finn and Poe.