Yesterday marked the end ofStar Wars CelebrationEurope, with the weekend closingoout on a huge surprise surprise.Alden Ehrenreichwas introduced to fans for the first time as Han Solo, the new star of the untitledHan Solo Star Wars Storyat the Future Filmmaker Panel. The panel featured Lucasfilm’sKathleen Kennedy(Producer) andKiri Hart(Senior Vice President of Development), who were joined by directorRian Johnson(Star Wars: Episode VIII) and directing duoChris MillerandPhil Lord(the untitledHan Solo Star Warsstory). Hosted by Lucasfilm Story Group’sPablo Hidalgo, the filmmakers were joined by surprise guestsJohn Boyega(Finn),Mark Hamill(Luke Skywalker) andCarrie Fisher(General Leia Organa) fromStar Wars: Episode VIII.
Han SolodirectorsPhil LordandChris Millerrevealed they just moved to London two days ago to work on the movie, but we don’t know any other cast members yet aside fromAlden Ehrenreich. The directors revealed that it’s been a “dream come true” to work with writerLawrence Kasdan. Here’s what they had to say about this highly-anticipated project.
“This is a guy who, on the playground, everyone was fighting who gets to play Han Solo. He’s a maverick, he’s a scoundrel, he’s clever but he’s not smart. He positions himself as this tough guy, but in the end he does the right thing.”
Rian Johnsoneven told youngAlden Ehrenreichthat he will be “fine as Han Solo”, since he has that “charm stuff down.” The actor revealed that he auditioned for roughly six months, and part of the process involved going on theMillennium Falcon. Here’s what he had to say about this audition at the Future Filmmaker’s panel.
“I auditioned for about 6 months. The coolest part of that audition process was, I went on the Falcon…It’s pretty unbelievable. I’m just very, very excited. I’ve never screen tested with a Wookiee. It was amazing. There’s something about it that felt so exciting. It was more exciting than it was nerve-wracking.”
This panel was one of very few atStar WarsCelebration that wasn’t streamed live to fans all around the world, but you can still relive the action with a slew of videos and photos. Next year,Star WarsCelebration will be held in Orlando, but we’ll have to wait and see what is unveiled a year from now. In the meantime, take a look at these new videos and photos from this year’s Future Filmmaker’s Panel atStar Wars Celebration.
