In addition to the new trilogy which begun with The Force Awakens, the new slate of Star Wars movies will also feature a series of standalone anthology films, including Phil Lord and Chris Miller's Han Solo origin movie. The filmmakers have been searching for an actor to play a younger version of Harrison Ford's iconic character for some time (see the main contenders here), and now it looks like they'll be searching for a young Chewbacca too.
Up until now we didn't know if the Wookie would be making an appearance in the Solo solo movie, but during the Deutsche Bank 2016 Media, Internet & Telecom Conference (via The Wrap), Disney CEO, Bob Iger, discussed the upcoming slate of Star Wars films and confirmed the character's inclusion: "We have others in the works, including one, which is an origin story about Han Solo and Chewie. And that’ll come after Star Wars 8 in 2018. And then there will possibly more thereafter."
Confirmation of Chewbacca's role means it's likely the film will give us details on how Solo met his furry acquaintance and explain how they became the smuggling duo we know and love. With the movie still a couple years away from release though, don't expect any casting announcements anytime soon.
Directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the Han Solo standalone movie is scheduled to open on May 25, 2018.
Images: Disney/Lucasfilm
Dune's Denis Villeneuve has no interest in directing Star Wars and it's partly down to Return of the Jedi making him "so angry" in 1983: "It seemed like a recipe, no more surprises"
Five years after it was announced, Marvel is finally releasing its Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker comic adaptation, complete with extra scenes not in the film
