The long wait forRogue One: A Star Wars Storyis finally over. As of last night, fans all over the world started packing into theaters to see the very first everStar Wars standalone movie, which has been getting a ton of positive buzz so far and is on track for a massive weekend at the box office. The next of theseStar Warsspinoff movies will be the upcomingHan Solo: A Star Wars Story, which is currently gathering cast members and gearing up for production. Thanks toKathleen Kennedy, we now know that the movie will be shooting very soon.
JournalistLizo Mzimbarecently posted a brief interview to hisTwitterwithKathleen Kennedy, who serves as the President of Lucasfilm. She was asked about the status of theHan Solostandalone movie and though she couldn’t reveal much, she did confirm that the movie will beshooting early next yearand that the movie is pretty far along. Here is what she had to say.
“We’re actually very close. We’re going to start shooting in February.”
February doesn’t seem all that surprising but it should makeStar Warsfans very happy to hear that the movie will be shooting in just a few months, which means we will be learning Solo: A Star Wars Storysooner rather than later. As of right now, the movie is scheduled for a May 2018 release date and by shooting in February they should be able to hit that release date. However, there is a good chance that the movie will be bumped to a December release, which is what happened withStar Wars: Episode VIIIafterStar Wars: The Force Awakensmanaged to crush in December last year. In may, the movie would face a lot more competition in the surrounding weeks, since it is right in the heart of summer.
Additionally, it looks likeRogue One: A Star Wars Storyis on track for a pretty huge weekend, so Disney may just want to stake their claim now and make DecemberStar Warsmonth moving forward. Plus, theYoung Han Solo moviewould be coming out only five months after the release ofStar Wars: Episode VIII, which would make it pretty difficult for Disney and Lucasfilm to as effectively market the movie, since people would probably still be talking aboutEpisode VIIIwell into 2018. Speaking ofStar Wars: Episode VIII,Kathleen Kennedyalso offered a little update about when we can expect to see a title reveal and maybe a trailer.
“Pretty Soon. We’re giving this a bit of breathing room and then probably heading into spring you’ll start to see things.”
What she says there also lends some credibility to the idea that they will be bumping backHan Solo, since they want to allow for “a bit of breathing room” between movies. Right now, we know thatThe LEGO Movieand21 Jump StreetdirectorsPhil LordandChris Millerare directing theHan Solospinoff andAlden Ehrenreichis set to play thelegendary smuggler. In addition,Game of ThronesstarEmilia Clarkehas been cast as the female lead, but her character hasn’t been identified yet, andDonald Gloverhas been cast as ayoung Lando Calrissian. For the moment,Han Solo: A Star Wars Storyis set for release on June 02, 2025. You can check out the interview clip with Lucasfilm PresidentKathleen Kennedyfor yourself below. To help ease into the transition from Harrison Ford to Alden Ehrenreich, we have this great piece of fan-art that depicts the later as the iconic space pirate.
