Announced via The Hollywood Reporter, it has been confirmed that Phil Lord and Chris Miller (The Lego Movie, 21 Jump Street) will be directing a standalone Star Wars film starring the galaxy’s most famous rogue, Han Solo. The movie will cover the events that led Solo to become a smuggler and the most coveted carbonite decoration among Hutts. The film will be written by Lawrence Kasdan (Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Empire Strikes Back) and his son, Jon Kasdan. There has been no announcement as to who will star in the anthology film or who will play the young Solo.
Obviously excited by the prospect of directing a Star Wars movie featuring one of the franchise’s most popular characters, both Lord and Miller promised to do something new and fresh with Captain Solo while being respectful to the series as a whole.
“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.”
Lawrence also voiced his enthusiasm for the project and his admiration for Lord and Miller’s obvious talent as filmmakers.
“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.”
Okay, I think it’s reasonable to say that no one expected to hear an announcement like this before San Diego Comic-Con, but Lucasfilm obviously wants to build up a tremendous amount of anticipation for their Star Wars panels. Before getting into the worrisome aspects of the announcement, it’s exciting to know that Lord and Miller will be directing a Star Wars movie. Both have proven their tremendous skills as directors and writers, taking properties and brands like 21 Jump Street and Legos to create something truly original and special. Additionally, it great to see the Kasdans on scriptwriting duties, especially Lawrence Kasdan, who was not only responsible for writing The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, but also The Force Awakens.
Now, probably the most disappointing thing about this Han Solo movie announcement is that it just doesn’t feel all that necessary. When we first meet Solo in that Mos Eisely cantina on Tatooine, we get to know so much about him in those first few minutes of his introduction. We know he’s a criminal of sorts and has a cockey attitude that makes him instantly relatable and likeable. We also learn he’s a total badass and smooth talker, shooting first and asking questions later if the situation calls for it. With all of the in mind and his entire character-arc throughout the entirety of the Original Trilogy, do we really need to know about his origins as a smuggler? The answer is simply no. Both Lord and Miller have proven time and time again that they are masters of subverting audience expectations for their movies, but telling a prequel story about Solo is about as unnecessary as making a trilogy of films about the fall of Anakin Skywalker.
The yet untitled Han Solo movie will arrive in theatres in less than 12 parsecs, or May 25, 2018. Until then, I’ll still be eagerly awaiting the announcement of a standalone spaghetti-western styled Boba Fett movie starring Karl Urban.
What do you think about this announcement reader? Excited about a standalone Han Solo film? Let us know in the comments below!
