‘Lego Movie’ directors to helm Han Solo ‘Star Wars’ spinoff

This is a nice rebound for the “Star Wars” spinoffs Disney is attempting to getting off the ground. There’s also the second “Star Wars” stand-alone film, which director Josh Trank left in May, as well as a separate rumored Obi-Wan Kenobi spin-off.

The new Han Solo film will concentrate on the origin story of the character made well-known within the “Star Wars” movies by actor Harrison Ford, who will reprise that position in “The Force Awakens“.

Disney announced Tuesday that Christopher Miller and Phil Lord, the duo behind “The Lego Movie”, will direct a feature about Han Solo’s life before “Star Wars“, slated to hit theaters in 2018. Lawrence Kasdan is exec producing with Jason McGatlin. (If you’ve read tons of the Star Wars books like yours truly, you know some of these answers, but with The Force Awakens throwing the Expanded Universe to the wind, who knows?).

The film, which does not yet have a title, will focus on a young Han Solo, at the beginning of his career as a smuggler. Abrams’ upcoming “Star Wars: The Force Awakens“, due in December. They promise to take “risks” and give the audience a “fresh” experience. “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”. Set for May 25, 2018, the pic will focus on Solo’s days before he linked up with the rebel alliance.

“This is a dream come true for us”, Miller and Lord said.

The pair added that it was a dream “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”.

It’s interesting to see just how much this new era of “Star Wars” is leaning on Kasdan, and I would imagine that for Kasdan, this must be a lovely and surreal return to something that was long since finished.

Now it’s only a matter of time before we find out who will play the lead…