Star Wars Actor Oscar Isaac on Why Episode 8 Will Be Like an "Independent Film"

One character that was never intended for big things in the Star Wars universe was Poe Dameron. The best pilot in the Resistance was originally going to be killed off in The Force Awakens, but Dameron, played by Oscar Isaac, has quickly become a fan favourite. Now Isaac has spoken about working on the upcoming--and currently untitled--Episode VIII.

In an interview with the LA Times, Isaac was asked whether Force Awakens writer Lawrence Kasdan was right when he said that director Rian Johnson would be taking the series in a new direction with Episode VIII. "I would agree with [Kasdan]," Isaac said. "Rian is definitely going to places and investigating things that haven't really been done in the Star Wars universe. For me, it's so fun getting to explore different things that I wouldn't have expected in this universe.

"In some ways it feels like we're making an independent film. Certain things we get to play with--this kind of intimacy that we get to find--it's special. It's been really fun."

Earlier this month, Daisy Ridley, who plays Rey, spoke about her own experiences shooting the next movie compared with The Force Awakens. "They are two very different things," she said in a Facebook Q&A. "Episode 7 was like the beginning of the whole thing, and it was terrifying and incredibly rewarding, and I felt like I pushed myself beyond boundaries I thought I had.

"Now, I feel more together and I feel more present. I look at things and think, 'How are people going to react to that?' because of the way that people have responded to Rey."

Star Wars Episode 8 arrives in cinemas on December 15, 2017. It also stars Adam Driver, John Boyega, Mark Hamill, Lupita Nyong'o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, Andy Serkis, Benicio Del Toro, and Laura Dern.