As you likely know by now, today isStar Wars day(May the 4th), with fans celebrating this iconic franchise all over the world. LucasFilm has already announced that the annualStar Wars Celebrationwill take place in Orlando, Florida next year, while unveiling a new trailer and details for the upcomingLego Star Wars: The Force Awakensvideo game, set to be released on June 28. Another pivotal figure in theStar Warsuniverse,Han Solo: A Star Wars StorydirectorChris Miller, celebrated this special day by giving fans a sneak peek at the movie, unveiling a photo of the title character’s iconic blaster.
The director revealed that he “can’t wait to get ‘shooting’” on his officialTwitterpage, along with a photo of the iconicHan Solo blaster. Some fans had hoped that, perhaps, the filmmakers or the studio would announce who is actually playing Han Solo in this adventure, which is set betweenStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sithand the 1977 classic that started it all,Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope. While there is very little we know about the plot, this spinoff will provide an origin story for this beloved smuggler, before he meets Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker at the Mos Eisley Cantina inA New Hope.
As for the casting, a report surfaced last month thatAlden Ehrenreich(Hail, Caesar) has emerged as a front runner for the title role of aYoung Han Solo, but that has yet to be confirmed. Other actors such asTaron Egerton(Kingsman: The Secret Service) andJack Reynor(Transformers: Age of Extinction) are also said to be top contenders for the role, but it isn’t known when the studio plans to make a final decision. There had also been rumors that the studio wanted to cast theHan Solo moviesoon so the character could be introduced in the first spinoff,Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which is also set betweenStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sithand the 1977 classic that started it all,Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, but since that movie wrapped, that seems very unliley at this point unless it happened without the info leaking.
Chris MillerandPhil Lordare directing from a script byLawrence Kasdan(Star Wars: The Force Awakens) and his sonJon Kasdan(In the Land of Women). Production isn’t expected to begin until January 2017, with the studio already setting a July 22, 2025 release date, which is exactly 41 years to the date afterStar Wars: Episode IV - A New Hopewas released. That movie will be followed byStar Wars: Episode IX, directed byColin Trevorrow, which is expected to hit theaters in 2019.
Star WarsDay is far from over, so it’s possible that more surprises fromHan Solo: A Star Wars Storyand other future franchise spinoffs will be revealed throughout the day. We’ll be sure to keep you posted with more updates as we continue to celebrate this iconic galaxy far, far away, all day long. In the meantime, take a look at Han Solo’s blaster fromStar Wars Anthology: Han Solobelow.
