Solo: A Star Wars Story Was In Development Even Before Disney’s Lucasfilm Purchase

Solo: A Star Wars Story might be Disney's fourth Star Wars film and Lucasfilm's second spinoff movie, however the upcoming Han Solo feature was actually in the works way back when George Lucas still owned the studio.

Sitting down to speak with Entertainment Weekly, Solo: A Star Wars Story screenwriters Jon and Lawrence Kasdan revealed that their work on the film began way back in 2012 before Disney successfully purchased Lucasfilm.

Lawrence, the legendary screenwriter of three Star Wars installments and one Indiana Jones movie signed on to make a movie centered around Han Solo, though back then it wasn't clear whether the project would be an origin story.

The older Kasdan was also brought aboard to work on Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and according to the legendary Star Wars writer, the work was draining. It was then that Lawrence thought of bringing in his son Jon to help him with Solo.

When I was done, I was sort of burned out. And I said, ‘I don't know, do we still want to do this Han thing?'" the screenwriter said. "And they said, ‘Yeah! We really want you to go ahead with Han.' And I said, ‘Well, my son, Jon, is very enthusiastic and full of ideas about the saga.' And he had directed two movies and had done other things. ‘What if he came on and worked with me? Because, that would give me a shot in the arm.' And so, that's exactly what happened. They made a deal with Jon, and he and I have been writing since for three years."

There might have been some anxiety surrounding Solo after Lucasfilm fired original directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, but we're more than excited to see the collaborative story of the Kasdans play out on the big screen when the film finally premieres.

Solo: A Star Wars Story debuts on May 25, 2018.

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