The Force is strong with us.
Throughout the history of the Star Wars universe, we've been treated to some exceptional villains that tend to straddle the line between pure evil and decency but Boris Johnson has just dipped his toe into the galaxy that's far, far away because he may have inadvertently revealed that the next Star Wars spin-off could be shot in Ireland.
Of course, Darth Vader killed young Padawans, slaughtered Imperial soldiers and Force-choked his own men, but ultimately, he came good in Return of the Jedi.
Kylo Ren might be the moodiest character in the galaxy, but he did kill both his own father and Supreme Leader Snoke. Is he good/bad? Who the hell knows, he's just angry.
You've also got Boba Fett, who hunted down Han Solo like a dog in the street, but his armour is cool so we forgive him.
All things considered, unless you're The Emperor, General Grievous
, or Jar Jar Binks, there's no such thing as a completely loathsome individual in Star Wars but what about Darth Boris?
You know, the Sith head who seems to gleefully infuriate Irish people with his odd takes on Brexit.
Well, the former Foreign Secretary in Theresa May's cabinet may have just confirmed
a recent report that the Star Wars spin-off film about Obi-Wan Kenobi will be filmed in Ireland.
During his
recent speech at the DUP conference in Belfast, Johnson discussed the potential of Northern Ireland being used as a location for the next Star Wars spin-off.
https://twitter.com/TheForcePodcast/status/1066749121837613057
“Which was the biggest grossing movie last year? Star Wars. And where does George Lucas propose to make a follow-up about Obi Wan Kenobi? Northern Ireland," Johnson said.
"But what is the name of the weapon wielded by Obi Wan. The glowing throbbing enigmatic thing. A light sabre. And where did they make the first light sabre? Where was the light sabre born? The light sabre was first created in my own constituency of Uxbridge and South Ruislip. So take the scenic splendour and cinematic expertise of Northern Ireland, add that to the sheer raw inventiveness of Uxbridge, and you have the creative genius of the United Kingdom," he continued.
At present, nothing official has been confirmed by Disney/Lucasfilm about Stephen Daldry's film but the apparent decision to shoot it in Ireland isn't exactly out of the blue.
Of course, Skellig Michael was used in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, along with parts of Donegal, Clare, and Cork.
As for the connection with Northern Ireland, the creators of Game of Thrones, David Benioff and D.B Weiss, are now attached to make new Star Wars films for Disney and having filmed the HBO epic in Down and Belfast, they're extremely familiar with the sets, crews, and locations that Northern Ireland has to offer.
As for our next visit to the galaxy far, far away, Star Wars: Episode IX is released on December 20, 2019.
Bring it on!
