Okay, here's what little we know about Disney and Lucasfilm's planned young Han Solo origin story.
-We know that the movie is going to introduce everyone's favorite scruffy looking nerf herder as a young man. We will presumably see how he became the lovable space scoundrel smuggler we meet in "Star Wars: A New Hope."
-We know that Phil Lord and Chris Miller ("The Lego Movie," "21 Jump Street") are directing and that Lawrence Kasdan ("Star Wars: The Force Awakens," "The Empire Strikes Back") is writing the script.
-We know that the Han Solo origin story will be the second "Star Wars Anthology" film after this year's "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story."
-We know that a handful of actors are on the short list to don the iconic black vest and blaster while taking over for Harrison Ford.
And that's about it. We don't know any story details, we don't know how the film may or may not connect to the original trilogy, and we don't know what other "Star Wars" characters may show up as welcomed fan service.
Except for the one beloved character we do know will be appearing. Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed last week that Han Solo's trusty wookie sidekick Chebacca will be in the 2018 film. No, this isn't exactly a major surprise, as Chewie has always been by Han's side. But it's still awesome to hear that he'll feature heavily in the movie.
"We have others in the works, including one, which is an origin story about Han Solo and Chewie," Iger said. "And that'll come after Star Wars 8 in 2018. And then there'll be possibly be more thereafter."
Awesome. I am totally on board.
Since the Star Wars Expanded Universe -- which consisted of all the books, TV shows, comics, video games, etc. that arrived after the original trilogy - was effectively erased from canon once the Mouse House purchased Lucasfilm, fans have no idea how Han and Chewie originally met. We don't know why they became best friends or why they stuck together for roughly a half century. Lucasfilm would be wise to tap into this rich narrative potential that would appeal to both younger fans and those that loved the original trilogy. With Han (Spoiler Alert) being killed off in "The Force Awakens," now is the perfect time to explore the character's beginnings.
For now, I'm just happy we'll get to see a young Chewbacca in action.
The Han Solo origin story will hit theaters in May of 2018.
For more, follow Brandon Katz on Twitter: @Great_Katzby
