‘Star Wars’: Phil Lord, Chris Miller to direct young Han Solo movie
Chris Miller, left, and Phil Lord will direct a “Star Wars” movie centered on a young Han Solo.
Always two there are: Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the filmmaking duo behind “The Lego Movie” and “21 Jump Street,” will direct a “Star Wars” spinoff movie centering on a young Han Solo, Disney and Lucasfilm announced Tuesday.
Set for release May 25, 2018, the so-called anthology film will tell the story of how Solo — played by Harrison Ford in the original trilogy and the upcoming “The Force Awakens” — became the smuggler, thief and scoundrel whom Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi met in the first “Star Wars” movie back in 1977.
The screenplay for the new film is by Lawrence Kasdan, who co-wrote “The Empire Strikes Back,” “Return of the Jedi” and “The Force Awakens,” and his son Jon Kasdan, whose credits include “The First Time” and “In the Land of Women.”
Known for spinning seemingly silly ideas into witty, imaginative hits, Lord and Miller have become in-demand filmmakers in the wake of “Lego’s” and “Jump Street’s” successes.
“This is the first film we’ve worked on that seems like a good idea to begin with,” Lord and Miller said in the announcement. “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.”
In addition to “The Force Awakens” in December, upcoming “Star Wars” films include “Rogue One” (2016), “Episode VIII” (2017) and “Episode IX” (2019).
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