J.J. Abrams has gotten a look at the script for the Han Solo spinoff, which just entered production, and he sounds pretty excited about it. Speaking with Fox News, here’s what he shared:
“I can tell you it is an amazing script and the cast is obviously extraordinary. I think it is a thrill to be a part of something that meant so much to me as a kid and to be part of allowing it to mean so much for kids now. It is fun to see it live on in various forms and ways even five years ago I would have never imagined it would have continued and knowing what is coming up is even more exciting,”
Now, it’s tempting to think, “well, he would say that, wouldn’t he?” But then the script is written by Jon and Lawrence Kasdan, the latter having penned The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi (and some obscure little film called Raiders of the Lost Ark). You figure if anyone knows how to write Han Solo it’s this guy.
A further injection of positivity comes in the form of directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, famed for taking properties that sound conceptually awful – a remake of 21 Jump Street and a movie about LEGO – and turning them into critical darlings and box office smashes. If they can pull that off, then a Han Solo movie should be pretty difficult to screw up.
Then again, the film (shooting under the working title of Star Wars: Red Cup) has reportedly had its release date pushed back from May 25, 2018 to December 13, 2018. Hopefully this is just because The Force Awakens and Rogue One both opened in December and raked in bucketfuls of money, so maybe Disney thinks December is a lucky month. But still, given the multiple reshoots that Rogue One went through and The Last Jedi is currently undergoing, who knows what’s up behind the scenes.
One thing’s for certain, the hitherto little-known Alden Ehrenreich has a heavy burden to bear. Stepping into Harrison Ford’s shoes and recreating one of the most iconic performances in movie history isn’t the easiest job in the world. But with a supporting cast composed of Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Donald Glover (playing Lando!), coupled with the directorial and screenwriting talent, we have no reason to doubt Abram’s optimism about the Han Solo spinoff. For now, at least.
