Drone wars: Disney may use anti-drone drones to secure the set of Star Wars Episode VIII

By Kelly Hodgkins Published November 28, 2017

The cast is selected and cameras are rolling on Star Wars Episode VIII, a portion of which is being filmed in Dubrovnik, Croatia, which was paid $38 million to host the filming. While there will be the occasional leaked photo from the set, Disney is rumored be going to extreme measures in order to prevent unauthorized filming of the movie, using anti-drone technology in addition to an army of guards.

According to MosCroatia, Episode VIII director Rian Johnson has hired a special team of drone operators to combat unauthorized drones attempting to steal footage of the filming. “In addition to considering Dubrovnik, there is a special team with drones that will remove the uninvited drones so that no recording would be made public,” claims MosCroatia. Details on how the permitted drones will chase off the un-permitted ones is not known, but the thought of some drone-versus-drone combat taking places in the skies above the set is exciting.

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Besides potentially using drones to secure the set, MosCroatia also reports that Disney will employ more than 600 local field guards to keep onlookers away from the Episode VIII set. Unlike previous Star Wars movies, Episode VIII reportedly focuses on live-action scenes instead of the CGI George Lucas used in previous episodes. This reliance on filming the action scenes makes securing the set even more important for both the integrity of the film and the safety of the actors, who may be filming intense scenes.

Dubrovnik was chosen as a location because of the city’s medieval architecture and its cloistered design which makes securing the set much easier. This location is much different from the previously used Greenham Common, which was the set for the Resistance base in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Greenham Common was in a public area which made it difficult to secure the set from people wanting to sneak a peek of the unreleased blockbuster film.

Dubrovnik also has a history of working with movie and television studios. City officials allegedly are amicable and receptive when it comes to studio demands. They also offer tax incentives that make it attractive to studio heads who are watching the bottom line. Besides Star Wars Episode VIII, Dubrovnik also is home to the hit HBO series Game of Thrones.

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Kelly's been writing online for ten years, working at Gizmodo, TUAW, and BGR among others. Living near the White Mountains of…

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Mitsubishi’s back in the EV game—with a new electric SUV coming in 2026

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Mitsubishi is officially jumping back into the U.S. electric vehicle scene—and this time, it’s not just dipping a toe. The company confirmed it will launch a brand-new battery-electric SUV in North America starting in summer 2026, marking its first fully electric model here since the quirky little i-MiEV left the stage back in 2017.
The new EV will be a compact crossover, and while Mitsubishi is keeping most of the juicy details under wraps, we do know it’ll be based on the same next-gen platform as the upcoming Nissan Leaf. That means it’ll ride on the CMF-EV architecture—the same one underpinning the Nissan Ariya—which supports ranges of up to 300+ miles. So yeah, this won’t be your average entry-level EV.
Designed in partnership with Nissan, the new model will be built in Japan and shipped over to U.S. shores. No word yet on pricing, battery size, or even a name, but Mitsubishi has made it clear this EV is just the beginning. As part of its “Momentum 2030” plan, the company promises a new or updated vehicle every year through the end of the decade, with four electric models rolling out by 2028. And yes, one of those might even be a pickup.
Mitsubishi says the goal is to give customers “flexible powertrain options,” which is marketing speak for: “We’ll have something for everyone.” So whether you're all-in on electric or still into gas or hybrid power, they're aiming to have you covered.
This mystery EV will eventually sit alongside Mitsubishi’s current U.S. lineup—the Outlander, Outlander PHEV, Eclipse Cross, and Outlander Sport—and help the brand move beyond its current under-the-radar status in the electric world.
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Toyota is back in the electric SUV game with the 2026 bZ, a major refresh of its bZ4X that finally delivers on two of the biggest demands from EV drivers: more range and faster charging.
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Under the hood, or rather the floor, Toyota has swapped in higher-performance silicon carbide components to improve efficiency and power delivery. The AWD version now produces up to 338 horsepower and sprints from 0–60 mph in a brisk 4.9 seconds.
Toyota didn’t stop at just the powertrain. The exterior has been cleaned up, with body-colored wheel arches replacing the black cladding, and a sleeker front fascia. Inside, a larger 14-inch touchscreen now houses climate controls, giving the dash a more refined and less cluttered appearance. There’s also more usable storage thanks to a redesigned center console.
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