“Smuggler. Scoundrel. Hero.” That about sums up Han Solo as we’ve seen him onscreen, but what about when he was younger? We’ll finally learn more about his past when his standalone film comes out next year.
A post to StarWars.com this week revealed the first cast photo from the Han Solo spinoff, which includes Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the latter of whom is playing an unspecified role. Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the movie’s co-directors, are also in the photo.
“Watching such inspired people from all over the world, with such unique voices, come together for the sole purpose of making art, is nothing short of miraculous,” the co-directors said. “We can’t think of anything funny to say, because we just feel really moved, and really lucky.”
The film will follow Han and Chewie before they got involved in the Skywalker saga in Star Wars: A New Hope, and explore how the two got involved in the smuggling game.
A new saga begins
Han Solo has been an integral part to the Star Wars franchise since A New Hope hit theaters in 1977, so it will certainly be strange to see a new actor take on the role. But the team involved in the film, including longtime Star Wars writer Lawrence Kasdan, certainly has the talent to make this a worthy standalone.
Principal photography for the untitled Han Solo film begun yesterday, so we’ll likely get more glimpses over the coming weeks and months. For now, check out the photo above to see the cast hanging out in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon.