One of the upcoming 'Star Wars' spin-offs will center on the space smuggler, so it's no wonder that his loyal companion will be in the movie as well.
- Mar 9, 2016
AceShowbiz - Han Solo and Chewbacca are inseparable. The space smuggler will be the focus of one of the upcoming "Star Wars" spin-offs and guess who's joining him in the film? Yes, it's his loyal furball of a co-pilot a.k.a. Chewie.
Disney chief Bob Iger himself confirmed it during the Deutsche Bank 2016 Media, Internet & Telecom Conference. He said when explaining the studio's "Star Wars" plans, " 'Rogue One ... is about a band of rebels plotting to steal the plans to the Death Star. It takes place right before what was George Lucas's first film, which came out in 1977 and is now called 'A New Hope'."
He then added, "We have others in the works, including one, which is an origin story about Han Solo and Chewy. And that'll come after 'Star Wars 8' in 2018. And then there'll be possibly be more thereafter."
Plot details of the Han Solo movie have not been released yet. Based on what Iger's said, it appears that Chewbacca will have a big role in the movie and it may see how the two best buds meet for the first time.
The studio has not named an actor who will play the iconic character portrayed by Harrison Ford in the previous movies. Miles Teller ("The Fantastic Four"), Ansel Elgort ("The Fault in Our Stars"), Dave Franco ("Neighbors"), Jack Reynor ("Transformers: Age of Extinction"), Scott Eastwood ("Fury") and Logan Lerman ("The Perks of Being a Wallflower") were among the rumored candidates for the role.
The untitled stand-alone Star Wars film II will be directed by Chris Miller and Phil Lord. It is scheduled to arrive May 25, 2018 and begin filming next January.
In other news, J.J. Abrams has explained why General Leia snubbed Chewie at the end of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens". In the said scene, Chewie, Rey and the injured Finn emerged from the Millennium Falcon without Han Solo, who didn't make it after destroying Starkiller Base. Fans were expecting to see Leia and Chewie comforting each other, but the former rushed off to embrace Rey instead.
Speaking to /Film, Abrams explained that awkward moment, "That was probably one of the mistakes I made in that. My thinking at the time was that Chewbacca, despite the pain he was feeling, was focused on trying to save Finn and getting him taken care of. So I tried to have Chewbacca go off with him and focus on Rey, and then have Rey find Leia and Leia find Rey."
The director continued, "The idea being that both of them being strong with the Force and never having met, would know about each other - that Leia would have been told about her beyond what we saw onscreen and Rey of course would have learned about Leia. And that reunion would be a meeting and a reunion all in one, and a sort of commiseration of their mutual loss."
