The premiere of J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens is now less than a year away, and Disney/Lucasfilm has been slowly, steadily ramping up the marketing machine. From the first teaser trailer to the names of the franchise's new characters to the reveal of certain costume designs, there's plenty about the new entry to excite fans and keep everyone guessing.

Certainly a major mystery surrounding the re-launch of Star Wars for a new generation is the studio's intention to release standalone spinoff movies between the "Episodes." For everything new we learn about The Force Awakens, new questions about the spinoffs seem to pop up. We do know that Godzilla (2014) director Gareth Edwards is helming the first of them, eyed for a 2016 release.

We've heard for some time that a Han Solo-centered spinoff could be in the works, and now a new rumor suggests that Edwards' 2016 project might just be it - granted, we heard this could be the case some time ago, but now we have some new pieces of evidence. Of course, these are rumors, so take them with plenty of salt.

A source close to Making Star Wars informs them that:

  • The production's code name will be "Luminac Industrial Goods."
  • Supposedly taking place at London's Pinewood Studios, "The filming will eventually overlap with some of Star Wars: Episode VIII."
  • The subject is Han Solo, and according to the rumor, "Aaron Paul is looking to be attached to the first 'Star Wars' spin-off film in some fashion."

According to the rumor, the Breaking Bad star is not expected to be playing a young version of Han Solo.

Aaron Paul in 'Need for Speed' (Review)

The most curious part of this new information is the reported "overlapping" of the Han Solo spinoff production with that of the as-yet-untitled Episode VIII. This points to a substantial amount of Episode VIII's plot already in place - and if we're getting some kind of new Star Wars movie every year from 2015 on, this kind of production schedule makes sense.

Then there's the basic plot - we have seen a number of reports about what this first spinoff will be about, and they all contradict each other. We previously thought that the Boba Fett movie would be coming in 2016, with the Han Solo film to be the second spinoff from director Josh Trank in 2018. The most recent set of rumored plot details stated that the first spinoff would be a heist movie, and Solo would NOT appear in it.

Star Wars 7 Trailer Photo - Millienium Falcon Barrel Roll

So plenty of this could be speculation. The reveal of the production's supposed code name lends this report some credence, but until we hear something official - perhaps coinciding with the next batch of The Force Awakens marketing in 2015 - the spinoffs remain a mystery.

What do you think, Screen Ranters? Do you want to see a Han Solo spinoff film? Let us know in the comments.

Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens will be released on December 18, 2015.

Source: Making Star Wars