Christopher Miller and Phil Lord to Direct Han Solo Movie
Christopher Miller and Phil Lord have established themselves as one of the most ingeniously creative directing duos of the past few years through The Lego Movie, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and the Jump Street comedies. They also notably directed two of the best sitcom pilots of recent memory for Brooklyn Nine-Nine and The Last Man on Earth. Their flawless track record has paid off as they’ve been selected to take on an endeavor every filmmaker has dreamed of: Directing a Star Wars picture.
Lucasfilm has announced this will be another anthology film set in the growing Star Wars universe centered around a young Han Solo. Miller and Lord will depict the story of how this smuggling scoundrel became the scruffy-looking nerf herder we all know and love. Of course this isn’t the first time the directors have delved into the Star Wars galaxy as Han, Lando Calrissian, Chewie and C-3PO all made epic cameos in The Lego Movie.
“This is the first film we’ve worked on that seems like a good idea to begin with. 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. And not the kind of dream where you’re late for work and all your clothes are made of pudding, but 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.”
With Miller and Lord behind the camera, the screenplay will be written by Lawrence Kasdan of The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi and Raiders of the Lost Ark along with Jon Kasdan of Dawson’s Creek and Freaks and Geeks. Kasdan says, “We’re so excited to be working with Chris and Phil, who will bring a fresh new dimension to the Star Wars universe. They’re two of the smartest, funniest and most original filmmakers around, and the ideal choice to tell the story of Han Solo, one of the coolest characters in the galaxy.”
Producer Kathleen Kennedy, who has worked on too many great films to count, also stated, “It’s not just any filmmaker who can tell the story of such a beloved icon like Han Solo, and I’m excited to say we’ve found the perfect team to handle the task. Larry and Jon know all there is to know about the character, and Chris and Phil will bring their wit, style, energy and heart to tell Han’s story.”
While we’ll have to wait until May 25, 2018 for this Han Solo movie, at least we’ll have Star Wars: The Force Awakens this December and a standalone Boba Fett movie in 2016 to hold us over.