Image Credit: Han Solo: Lucasfilm/ Lawrence Kasdan (modified with addition of Han Solo): Gage Skidmore
While we already know who's going to star as the lead in the Han Solo Anthology film, details about the movie largely remain unknown.
Well, Star Wars' legendary writer Lawrence Kasdan has just dropped more details about the movie, which I have to admit sound quite exciting. He also revealed some information about his involvement in the sequel trilogy, which began with The Force Awakens.
Kasdan dropped the info during last week's Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, where he was given the First Icon Award for Contributions to the Cinematic Arts. The esteemed screenwriter sat down with bizjournals (h/t Star Wars News Net) following the event.
Kasdan no doubt deserves the First Icon Award, which is given to artists who have contributed to and inspired others in the global cinema. Being a major contributor to the Star Wars franchise, which includes co-authorship of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, the writer was asked some intriguing questions about the Han Solo project as well as about the Sequel Trilogy, both of which he's very much involved in.
Some of Kasdan's interesting answers include the release date of the Han Solo spin-off, as well as the exciting things fans can expect from the movie. He said:
I think[they should be excited]! You know, Chris Miller and Phil Lord are going to direct it. They're great, funny and imaginative and we've had a great time together. My son [Jon] and I wrote the script and Chris and Phil are working on it and they're about to move to London to start shooting in January. And it should be fun.
On the movie's release date, Kasdan gave this answer:
They're actually scheduled for May. The [other Star Wars films] are falling on Christmas -- Rogue One and Episode 9. Han will come before Episode 9.
After that, the screenwriter discuss his role in Episodes VIII and IX, teasing that he has little information with his role in the story arc of the new trilogy. He said:
[Star Wars Episode 8 Director] Rian [Johnson] is a friend of mine. I'm getting to know Colin Trevorrow, who is going to direct Episode 9, so I feel very involved with it.
Kasdan also admitted that he loved Han and that the character is the reason that enticed his involvement to the franchise. He said:
Well, I love Han.
...I was originally going to just write Han, but I had contracted to be in the story group on Episode 7, which became "The Force Awakens". And then there were problems. A wonderful writer, Michael Arndt, just couldn't do the time pressure, and people were being hired in England and it was enormous pressure and he stepped away. We stayed in contact and he's a lovely man, then J.J. [Abrams] and I took over, and now I found myself instead just doing Han and consulting on "Force Awakens," we were actually writing Episode 7 together and it happened very fast.
It's worth noting how Kasdan has been and is continuing his involvement in Star Wars. While it's a good thing that the screenwriter is somehow involved in the new trilogy, it also begs the question whether his ongoing presence could result in a more negative outcome. The Force Awakens as received well by most fans, but the movie has been criticized how it's patterned straight from A New Hope. Now, knowing more about Kasdan's involvement in the films, this theory about how Han Solo's story had been the driving force for The Force Awakens is starting to look plausible. I have also been seeing negative comments online on a Han Solo spin-off, so it does beg the question of whether Kasdan's involvement will be good for a new generation of Star Wars fims and demographics.
What do you think?
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