Here’s What We Learnt About The Han Solo Spinoff At Star Wars Celebration Europe

While it hasn’t been a complete letdown (we did get that awesome Rogue One featurette, after all), Star Wars Celebration Europe really hasn’t brought us a whole lot of interesting information. That’s mostly because a lot of the films being featured there are still a ways away from release and so, the cast and crew can’t really say much about them. A few interesting tidbits have slipped out here and there, but for the most part, a lot of what we’re getting are just fun facts that don’t really give us much to go on.

That’s certainly the case for the upcoming Han Solo spinoff, which will be directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller and written by Lawrence and Jon Kasdan. Up until this point, we’ve really heard very little about the plot and that obviously wasn’t going to change this weekend. That being said, we did get a few bits of trivia from Star Wars Celebration Europe that might amuse some of you.

• Lord and Miller love the character’s dichotomy, stating that he’s both “sarcastic and optimistic,” and adding that he “doesn’t want to do anything he’s told. He’s a maverick, he’s a scoundrel, he’s clever but not smart.”
• Apparently 3,000 people auditioned for the role and the lucky man who eventually got it, Alden Ehrenreich, was actually the first one to audition. The directors referred to him as “the best kept secret in Hollywood.”
• For his initial audition, Ehrenreich dressed up as Han Solo and screen tested with Chewie inside the famous Millenium Falcon. It was a six month audition process for the actor.
• Principal photography on the film will start in early 2017 with a lot of the same crew from Rogue One and Episode VIII also working on the spinoff.

Like we said, nothing of note was revealed here, more just fun facts that fans may be happy to know about. And, with the spinoff still so far off, it’s unlikely we’ll hear anything substantial about it for a while, especially since all the focus seems to be on Rogue One right now.

Nevertheless, we’re still pretty damn excited to learn more about what Lord and Miller are cooking up here and as soon as we get more information on the Han Solo spinoff, we’ll be sure to let you know.