With Rogue One: A Star Wars Story now making an absolute killing at the box office, we have our sights set on the next standalone Star Wars film: the Han Solo spin-off. As you can probably guess, there's a lot of fanfare surrounding the project, as the film's cast (coupled with the creative direction of Phil Lord and Chris Miller) offer quite a bit of promise. The wait for May 25, 2018 has already become excruciating, but now it seems that we may actually have to wait until December of 2018 to actually see the final product.
Despite the fact that initial reports had indicated that the Han Solo spin-off movie would hit theaters on May 25, 2018, new rumors suggest the distinct possibility that the film could actually hit theaters in winter. In fact, a report from Making Star Wars suggests that the film could actually debut in theaters on December 13, 2018. The rumor comes from a source inside the movie theater industry who apparently recently received new release information that conflicted with the original May release.
Before I go any further, I should definitely note that this report is nothing more than a rumor at this point. Yes, the rumor suggests a delayed release for the Han Solo spin-off movie, but we're reserving judgement on the issue. As of now, the Han Solo movie is still slated to begin production in February, so it doesn't sound as if anything is going wrong behind the scenes. Plan for December, and hope for May.
Although it's an unexpected change, the possibility of a December premiere actually seems logical when we consider Disney and Lucasfilm's recent history of winter releases. Both The Force Awakens and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story went relatively unopposed in their December releases, and we can reasonably assume that the currently-untitled Episode VIII will do the same when it debuts on December 15 of this year. Although summer has typically become known as the blockbuster season, the Star Wars franchise has carved out a good niche for itself on the other side of the year.
Regardless of the logic behind the potential changes, this is definitely a bit discouraging after all of the fantastic developments we have seen over the course of the last few months. From the casting of Alden Ehrenreich as the titular badass smuggler, to the more recent additions of Donald Glover (who will portray Lando Calrissian) and Emilia Clarke to the cast, the Han Solo spin-off film has come together nicely in recent weeks.
We will ultimately have to wait and see whether or not these rumors are true. The Han Solo spin-off film is currently still slated to hit theaters on May 25, 2018, but we will keep you posted if that release date is bumped to December 13, 2018. Stay tuned!
