Revised 2018 Star Wars Anthology Film Directors Confirmed

Image Source: Fan Share

In three years' time, Han's going Solo (apologies for the Kinect Star Wars memories!), but who'll portray him and who'll helm?
Walt Disney Pictures have today unveiled the pair of directors who'll take the recently-vacated helm of the second of their upcoming Star Wars Anthology science-fiction blockbusters.

As the House of Mouse confirmed at Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim earlier this year, while The Force Awakens (not to mention Episodes VIII and IX, currently set for release in 2017 and 2019 respectively) will continue the franchise's overarching space opera narrative where Return of the Jedi left off in 1983, the aforementioned Anthology instalments will instead divulge the secrets of what transpired between the events of the original six films. Next year's Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One, for instance, will depict the Rebel Alliance's audacious efforts to steal the Empire's Death Star plans as the events of A New Hope dawn on the galaxy.

That said, despite us already being privy to concrete details regarding Rogue One's plot such as those mentioned above, such information hasn't been made available in relation to 2018's planned spin-off effort until now. Enter StarWars.com, who've confirmed that after Chronicle director Josh Trank's much-publicised departure from the project in question last May, Phil Lord and Chris Miller will take the piece's reins from here on out and in doing so, they'll chronicle nothing less than the early days of Harrison Ford's iconic smuggler-turned-warhero Han Solo (though don't expect Ford to appear in anything more than a flash-forward capacity unless some immense CGI trickery's planned).

Lord and Miller, both of whom are perhaps best known for taking the lead behind-the-scenes of The LEGO Movie, 21 Jump Street and plenty of other acclaimed cinematic endeavours, already have plenty of work on their plate such as the screenplay for The LEGO Movie 2 as well as helming duties on Sony's planned 2018 animated Spider-Man spin-off, yet if their successful reaping of countless plaudits (not least a well-earned 5* rating for The LEGO Movie here in the hallowed halls of On-Screen) for both their instantly-beloved LEGO adaptation and 22 Jump Street last year is any indication, then the road ahead for our second foray into Star Wars' past could prove to be a very bright one indeed.

Don't believe us? Just ask producer Kathleen Kennedy or screenwriters Lawrence and Jon Kasdan, the reassuring comments of all of whom we've collated together below (courtesy of StarWars.com) for the analytic eyes of Bothan spies, chess-playing Wookie warriors and Sarlacc-residing bounty hunters alike:

• KATHLEEN KENNEDY (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) ON WHAT HER LATEST COLLABORATORS CAN OFFER - "Larry and Jon [Kasdan] know all there is to know about the character [of Han Solo], and Chris and Phil will bring their wit, style, energy and heart to tell Han's story."
• LAWRENCE KASDAN & JON KASDAN (SCREENPLAY WRITERS) ON LORD AND MILLER'S TALENTS - "[The Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs helmers] will bring a fresh new dimension to the Star Wars universe. They're two of the smartest, funniest and most original filmmakers around, and the ideal choice to tell the story of Han Solo, one of the coolest characters in the galaxy.

After Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One takes flight in cinemas worldwide in December 2016, Lord and Miller's Solo-orientated picture will follow suit on May 25th, 2018, yet in the meantime, there's Star Wars: The Force Awakens to look forward to on December 18th.