With Rogue One: A Star Wars Story officially in theaters - and creating a ton of buzz along the way - we must now set our sights to the future. Rogue One is the first anthology film in the Star Wars franchise, but next in line is the highly-anticipated Han Solo prequel film that will be fronted by up-and-comer Alden Ehrenreich. There's quite a bit of enthusiasm surrounding the project, and it now seems that the highly anticipated film will begin filming as early as this coming February.
Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy spoke to BBC (via JoBlo) at a recent Rogue One event, and provided a number of phenomenal details regarding the future of the franchise. One of the best details she revealed was a status of the Han Solo movie's filming schedule - which is set to begin in February. This generally seems to line up with everything that we already know about the upcoming spin-off, as the Han Solo is already slated to hit theaters in summer 2018. Everything appears to be going according to schedule at this point.
As of right now we still don't know much about the overarching narrative of the Han Solo spin-off movie, but many of the fundamental building blocks have already been established. In addition to the iconic Corellian smuggler, the film will also definitely include characters like Chewbacca, as well as a young Lando Calrissian - with Donald Glover replacing Billy Dee Williams as the legendary scoundrel. We also know that Game of Thrones actress Emilia Clarke has joined the film as its female lead, but as of right now we have very little information regarding the exact nature of her character. Now I'm just keeping my fingers crossed for a Boba Fett cameo.
Beyond that, there's a lot to get excited about with regards to Alden Ehrenreich's performance as the silver screen badass. Although he was the first actor to go in and audition for the role, directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller made him go through countless readings - even going so far as to put him into an actual Millennium Falcon cockpit with Chewbacca at his side in order to properly ensure that he could deliver as the character. If nothing else, this means that we can rest easy knowing that Harrison Ford will pass the torch to an actor who has been thoroughly vetted to inherit the vest and blaster.
CinemaBlend will keep you posted regarding any and all relevant details related to the Han Solo spin-off movie as more information becomes available to us. The fan-favorite Star Wars anti-hero will take center stage when the film hits theaters on May 25, 2018.
For now, make sure to check out Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which is currently in theaters!
