Last year's Rogue One: A Star Wars Story proved that there is indeed a market for standalone films in a galaxy far, far away that take place outside of the main Skywalker family saga. The spinoff received positive reviews and grossed over $1 billion worldwide, which bodes nicely for the next anthology on the docket. We speak of Phil Lord and Chris Miller's young Han Solo movie, which stars Alden Ehrenreich as the Millennium Falcon captain. In supporting roles are Donald Glover (Lando Calrissian), Emilia Clarke (the mysterious female lead), and Woody Harrelson (Han's mentor, who may or may not be Garris Shrike). The film is currently planned for a May 2018 premiere, but it could shift to December.

All signs were pointing to Han Solo beginning principal photography soon. Back in December, Kathleen Kennedy had mentioned February 2017 as the start date, while just last week Harrelson stated he would start in March. As it turns out, the cameras are rolling earlier than either of those two possibilities. The Han Solo anthology is now officially in production.

Miller broke the news himself, posting a picture on Twitter with an amusing caption that pays homage to the famous "Han shot first" saying (and revealing the working title - Red Cup). Check it out below:

Han
First
Shot pic.twitter.com/KReR6rgKFT— Chris Miller (@chrizmillr) January 30, 2017

At this point in time, there are only five characters confirmed for Han Solo (the four main actors, plus Chewbacca), so it will be interesting to see if there are any further casting announcements as filming gets underway. While Star Wars films always concentrate on a core group, they tend to feature larger ensembles, as was evident in both Rogue One and The Force Awakens. There's always the possibility Lord and Miller incorporate a more scaled back approach with an intimate story focused on the relationship between Han and his mentor, but it wouldn't be surprising if more actors came on board shortly, either. Lucasfilm is characteristically keeping a tight lid on details, so time will tell.

In any case, it's nevertheless exciting to see Han Solo start its journey into fruition. When the project was first announced back in 2015, it was met with a good deal of skepticism (who could possibly replace Harrison Ford?), but now the tide is shifting a bit. Thanks to the involvement of Lord and Miller, screenwriters Lawrence Kasdan and his son Jon, and a tremendously talented cast, it's safe to say the film is in strong hands. After Rogue One served as a thrilling and resonate complement to the originally trilogy, ideally Han Solo will be able to do the same.

NEXT: Who is Garris Shrike?

Source: Chris Miller