‘Han Solo: A Star Wars Story’ Starts Filming In February, Will Be Set Before ‘Rogue One’

The upcoming Han Solo: A Star Wars Story movie is the latest in a long line of exciting announcements for fans of the film series. Fresh off the release of Rogue One, the first stand-alone Star Wars film, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy confirmed that Han Solo will begin filming early next year.

Entertainment journalist Lizo Mzimba spoke with Kennedy while she walked the red carpet at an event for Rogue One. The Star Wars producer stated that shooting for Han Solo would begin in February of 2017.

The #HanSolo movie will shoot in Feb and we'll see some #StarWarsEpisodeVIII stuff towards Spring says Lucasfllm President Kathleen Kennedy pic.twitter.com/dMkgXfdFz9

— lizo mzimba (@lizo_mzimba) December 15, 2016

Kennedy also teased the future trailer for Star Wars Episode VIII, which has yet to have a public title. Stating that Disney was giving Rogue One “a little bit of breathing room,” Kennedy announced that the trailer would become available “heading into spring.” Some journalists, including a writer for Making Star Wars, have speculated that the trailer will premiere right before or during the Star Wars Celebration Weekend in Orlando on April 13-16.

Star Wars Episode VIII, the sequel to Star Wars: The Force Awakens, will be released on December 15 of 2017.

Now that Rogue One: A Star Wars Story has been in movie theaters for a couple of weeks, some writers are wondering how the events of the film will tie into other stand-alone films. Comicbook reported that Han Solo, much like Rogue One, takes place between Star Wars Episode III and Star Wars Episode IV. However, while Rogue One star Felicity Jones has an option for another film in her Star Wars contract, it is unlikely that Han Solo and Jyn Erso will interact in the upcoming film.

Cinema Blend reports that Han Solowill take place right in the middle of two Star Wars movies. Han Solo scriptwriter Lawrence Kasdan spoke with J.J. Abrams about the film, and he gave an exact time frame for when the film would take place.

“[Han Solo: A Star Wars Story] will not be, ‘Here’s where he was born and this is how he was raised.’ I think what it will be is what was he like 10 years earlier [than A New Hope]—maybe a little earlier, you’ll get a glimpse. But Kurosawa once said the heroes are the ones that are still changing and the villains are locked and petrified into what they are, and Harrison embodies in Force Awakens someone who is still not settled on who he is.”

This places Han Solo much earlier in the Star Wars chronology than Rogue One. Viewers will recall that Rogue One takes place in the days leading up to the events that start A New Hope. In fact, (spoiler alert!) the end of Rogue One overlaps with Star Wars Episode IV when it shows Princess Leia receiving the Death Star plans retrieved by the rebel spies led by Jyn Erso.

Ten years before the events of Rogue One, Jyn Erso would have been a child living with militant rebel leader Saw Gerrera. Meanwhile, Han Solo did not join the cause of the Rebellion until the events of Star Wars: A New Hope, so it is doubtful that audiences will see them interact.

Not much is known about the plot of Han Solo apart from the confirmed characters and the known cast list published by Screen Rant. Actor Alden Ehrenreich, known for his role in Coen Brothers film Hail, Caesar! will play Han Solo in the film. Joining Ehrenreich’s Han Solo are his trusty partner in crime Chewbacca and Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian, the future leader of Cloud City and member of the Rebellion. Game of Thrones actor Emilia Clarke will also join Han Solo in an unknown role.

Expected to have a “heist or Western type feel,” Han Solo will bring a new perspective to the film series. Han Solo: A Star Wars Story will be released May 25, 2018.

[Featured Image by Lucasfilm]