Star Wars
The original model of Han Solo's famous pirate freighter, the Millennium Falcon, is seen at Star Wars Identities: The Exhibition. Recently, it was announced Han Solo will get his own stand-alone movie. Getty

One of “Star Wars” most beloved characters is officially getting his own origin story. Lucasfilm announced Han Solo will be the subject of its second film in the “Star Wars Anthology” series in 2018.

The news came with the announcement that Christopher Miller and Phil Lord will direct the movie. Filmgoers know them best for their immensely popular “21 Jump Street” and its sequels, as well as “The Lego Movie.” Their success has skyrocketed them in Hollywood all the way to one of its most coveted properties, “Star Wars.”

“This is the first film we’ve worked on that seems like a good idea to begin with. We promise to take risks, to give the audience a fresh experience, and we pledge ourselves to be faithful stewards of these characters who mean so much to us,” the pair said in a statement released by Lucasfilm (via Entertainment Weekly). “This is a dream come true for us. And not the kind of dream where you’re late for work and all your clothes are made of pudding, but the kind of dream where you get to make a film with some of the greatest characters ever, in a film franchise you’ve loved since before you can remember having dreams at all.”

Little is known about the Han Solo stand-alone film other than that the Hollywood Reporter has sources who claim it will focus on the character while young. This is relatively untrodden territory given that Solo was one of the only characters in the original trilogy who was not tied into George Lucas’ not-so-popular prequel trilogy.

While news of a stand-alone “Star Wars: Anthology” movie centered on a young Han Solo is likely fantastic for the cadre of fans who have stuck with the character since his introduction in 1977, it may also be unwelcome for those who have been paying attention to the slew of rumors bleeding from the production of December’s “Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens.”

[POTENTIAL SPOILER ALERT: The remainder of this article will discuss a popular theory about “The Force Awakens.” Read at your own risk.]

A few months ago, a site called MakingStarWars.net claimed it had inside information originating on the set of the J.J. Abrams film that indicated the movie will see the tragic end of Han Solo (Harrison Ford). While the rumors didn’t originate from any credible source, the site has been responsible for some pretty bold rumors in the past, some of which have even drawn comment by Abrams. Is it possible that an “Anthology” film about Han Solo could come after the audience sees how the character dies? It wouldn’t be the worst idea to soften the blow to fans by promising them an origin story in 2018, following the sequel to “The Force Awakens.”

What do you think of the Han Solo rumor? Comment below or tweet your thoughts to @TylerMcCarthy.

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