UPDATE: Disney has now confirmed THR's report about the Han Solo spinoff, and Phil Lord and Chris Miller's involvement in the project. Check out the new details in our update below, followed by our original report.

That was fast. Less than an hour after The Hollywood Reporter posted a story about "The LEGO Movie" directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller taking the helm of a new, Han Solo-centric "Star Wars" spinoff, Disney has confirmed the project, and also announced a new synopsis and release date for the flick.

The as-yet-untitled film is due out on May 25, 2018, and will focus on Solo as a young man. The official logline: "The story focuses on 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."

Lord and Miller also released a statement about the flick, and it's just as geeky and fan service-y as you'd expect from the affable directors.

"This is the first film we've worked on that seems like a good idea to begin with," the statement said. "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."

Original "Star Wars" trilogy scribe Lawrence Kasdan, who also co-write the script for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," will co-write the Solo spinoff with his son, Jon Kasdan.

With such a powerhouse creative team, this movie already sounds like a winner. We can't wait for 2018.

ORIGINAL REPORT:

Rumors about the plots of the planned "Star Wars" spinoff films have been circulating for years, but now, it seems that one scenario -- and set of directors -- has been squared away.

The Hollywood Reporter writes that a Han Solo-centric spinoff is currently in the works, and has already landed a directing duo: Phil Lord and Chris Miller, who helmed "The LEGO Movie" and "21 Jump Street." According to the trade, Lord and Miller's project is separate from one that was to have been directed by Josh Trank ("The Fantastic Four"), who left that film earlier this year.

This new Solo movie is a different tale entirely, per THR's report, and will focus on Han Solo as a young man. It's unclear, however, if this new film has any connection to the rumor that was passed around late last year about another potential Solo spinoff film. Aaron Paul was the rumored choice among producers for a part in the project (not necessarily to play Solo), though the star later said that he was never approached.

No word yet on whether or not Lord or Miller will also write this flick, though THR's report indicates that taking on the project means they may have to forgo a slew of others, including "23 Jump Street" and the rumored "Flash" film they were developing.

Disney and Lucasfilm declined to comment on THR's report, so we'll have to wait for official word before we know more details. Suffice it to say, we're excited to see what Lord and Miller can build with the "Star Wars" universe.

[via: The Hollywood Reporter]

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