Everything is awesome as the long speculated Han Solo spin-off movie was officially announced by StarWars.com. The yet-to-be titled Han Solo Star Wars Anthology film will tell the story of a young scoundrel, and how he got to be the smuggler we meet in the Mos Eisley Cantina in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. The screenplay is written by Star Wars veterans and father & son duo Lawrence Kasdan and Jon Kasdan, and directed by THE LEGO MOVIE’s Christopher Miller and Phil Lord (presumably familiar with a LEGOized version of the Millennium Falcon). Current timeline for STAR WARS films include: STAR WARS VII (12/18/15), ROGUE ONE (12/16/16), STAR WARS VIII (5/26/17), Untitled Han Solo film (5/25/18), STAR WARS IX (2019). Continue reading for more details from Lucasfilm Ltd.’s press release.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens ©Lucasfilm 2015
From Lucasfilm Ltd.
The next adventure in the Anthology series of Star Wars films will be directed by Christopher Miller and Phil Lord, whose credits include the critically acclaimed The LEGO Movie and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, as well as 21 Jump Street and 22 Jump Street. Among the most sought-after filmmakers working today, the two have proven a formidable duo on the multiple films they’ve collaborated on and are looking forward to applying their unique creative chemistry to the Star Wars universe.
(L-R) Director CHRISTOPHER MILLER, ELIZABETH BANKS (voice of LEGO minifigure Wyldstyle) and director PHIL LORD. Photo by Eric Charbonneau © 2014 WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT INC.
This is the first film we’ve worked on that seems like a good idea to begin with. We promise to take risks, to give the audience a fresh experience, and we pledge ourselves to be faithful stewards of these characters who mean so much to us. This is a dream come true for us. And not the kind of dream where you’re late for work and all your clothes are made of pudding, but the kind of dream where you get to make a film with some of the greatest characters ever, in a film franchise you’ve loved since before you can remember having dreams at all.
The screenplay is written by Lawrence Kasdan and Jon Kasdan. The story focuses on how young Han Solo became the smuggler, thief, and scoundrel whom Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi first encountered in the cantina at Mos Eisley.
Lawrence Kasdan, the writer and director known for Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Big Chill, and Grand Canyon, is familiar to Star Wars fans for having co-written the screenplays for The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and The Force Awakens. His son Jon Kasdan wrote and directed The First Time, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, and In the Land of Women, as well as writing for the television series Freaks and Geeks and Dawson’s Creek.
“We’re so excited to be working with Chris and Phil, who will bring a fresh new dimension to the Star Wars universe,” said the Kasdans. “They’re two of the smartest, funniest and most original filmmakers around, and the ideal choice to tell the story of Han Solo, one of the coolest characters in the galaxy.”
Kathleen Kennedy, who will be producing, says she can’t wait to discover what’s in store from these two extraordinary teams of directors and writers.
“It’s not just any filmmaker who can tell the story of such a beloved icon like Han Solo, and I’m excited to say we’ve found the perfect team to handle the task. Larry and Jon know all there is to know about the character, and Chris and Phil will bring their wit, style, energy and heart to tell Han’s story.”
Slated for a May 25, 2018 release, the film will be executive produced by Lawrence Kasdan and Jason McGatlin and co-produced by Will Allegra.
For more family movie news, be sure to follow Adventures by Daddy on twitter and “like” our facebook page too.
