After making the official announcement last month for Lucasfilm, "The LEGO Movie' directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller are prepping up to helm a "Star Wars Anthology' film that will follow Han Solo's story.
This week, Entertainment Weekly obtained new details about the movie's potential tone and who the filmmakers are considering in relation to the Han Solo casting.
"I think the key here is that we are identifying an event or events in Han Solo's life that gives you some idea of who he is and why he is the character we have all known to love, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy said. "You can imagine, given who we've chosen to come in and direct, it should be very entertaining and funny."
As stated by a press release about the movie news, the script will draw attention to "how young Han Solo became the smuggler, thief, and scoundrel whom Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi first encountered in the cantina at Mos Eisley."
Portrayed in the original "Star Wars' trilogy by Harrison Ford, Han Solo made his debut in "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope' in 1997 and, later on, made an appearance in 1980's "Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.'
Moreover, Ford also took on the popular role in 1983's "Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.' He is set to return for the character in the upcoming "Star Wars: The Force Awakens', helmed by J.J. Abrams to be released in December of this year.
According to Kennedy, the latest Han Solo casting will require an actor about 15 years younger than Ford was during his time on "Star Wars.'
"He'll definitely be probably in the high teens, low 20s," she says. "We're not introducing you to a 10-year-old Han Solo."
She also stressed the need to effectively put forward the character that has been loved by the fans over the years, saying, "Han Solo is the character inside Star Wars that everybody knows has a wit and sense of humor. So that's what this should be."
"This is the first film we've worked on that seems like a good idea to begin with," Miller and Lord said about the Han Solo-centered spinoff film. "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."
The directing duo also had positive words for the sci-fi franchise for coming up with characters that are well-loved by fans whether in the original or the new versions.
"This is a dream come true for us. "¦The kind of dream where you get 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," they stated.
