Star Wars 8 filming update: Rian Johnson reveals Force Awakens sequel is 'halfway through the shoot'

Star Wars 8 filming is in full swing and director Rian Johnson has proved it by sharing an on-set image of the space action thriller on his social media account. After suffering numerous filming hurdles during the shooting schedule of Stat Wars The Force Awakens, production for its sequel seems to be on track.

Johnson posted two on-set images of the highly anticipated movie on his Tumblr page and wrote: "Good. Bad. I'm the guy with the microfiber sham. I can't believe we're halfway through the shoot. (We're halfway through the shoot!)"

To the disappointment of fans, the images do not reveal much about what to expect from the movie as all we can see is the 42-year-old Hollywood director trying to clean up the cockpit of what appears to be a Resistance army flight.

The filming for Episode VIII kick-started back in February in Skellig Michael, Ireland. The movie will begin right where The Force Awakens ended — Rey handing over Darth Vader's lightsaber to Luke Skywalker.

Disney and Lucas Film are extremely protective and are trying to avoid leaks and divulging even minimal details from the set of Space Bear (this is the tentative title of the movie at least for now). But that didn't stop an anonymous source from leaking the script of the sequel.

Other leaks have also claimed that Johnson has named Star Wars 8 Echoes Of The Dark Side and it will narrate the backstory of Rey and how her immense strength with Force will change the tide of the space opera in future.

Star Wars Episode VIII will premiere on 15 December 2017.