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It's Comic-Con week, which means all kind of insane news for franchise movie fans is about to break — and it's already started. The team behind Star Wars have just announced that Christopher Miller and Phil Lord, the filmmaking duo behind The Lego Movie and the 21 Jump Street series, will be writing and directing a new Star Wars movie about young Han Solo. It's set for release on May 25th, 2018. The Hollywood Reporter first reported the news.
"This is the first film we've worked on that seems like a good idea to begin with," Lord and Miller say in a statement. "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. This is a dream come true for us."
"This is a dream come true for us."
The project will be written by Lawrence Kasdan (The Empire Strikes Back, The Force Awakens) and his son Jon Kasdan (Dawson's Creek). It's described as the story of "how young Han Solo became the smuggler, thief, and scoundrel whom Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi first encountered at Mos Eisley." This indicates that it's actually a different project from the standalone film that was being directed by The Fantastic Four's Josh Trank. Trank left that project soon after Star Wars Celebration this year, with rumors indicating that he'd actually been kicked off the project.
Lord and Miller's ascent into the heights of Hollywood has been nothing short of astounding. Early in their careers they worked on Clone High, and made the jump to features with Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Soon after that they directed the 21 Jump Street adaptation with Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill, and they've rocketed ever since. Jump Street was a surprise hit, trafficking on an affection for the source material as well as a knowing sense of self-awareness. That same take was amplified in The Lego Movie and 22 Jump Street. They've since created The Last Man on Earth with Will Forte, and are set to write and produce an animated Spider-Man film for Sony.
What will we see at Comic-Con on Friday?
Of course, with news like this breaking early in the week there's no other option but to look towards San Diego Comic-Con. Lucasfilm is scheduled for an extensive panel on Friday, and bringing Lord and Miller on stage to talk about the project would quite possibly cause the Hall H crowd to spontaneously combust. We'll be there to find out what else is in store for the Star Wars universe, and every other major player during the week.
