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Photo via Star Wars/Lucasfilm

Han Solo movie cast packs into the Millennium Falcon for one epic photo

Don’t tell them the odds.

 

Michelle Jaworski

Internet Culture

Posted on Feb 21, 2017   Updated on May 24, 2021, 11:10 pm CDT

After months of casting updates, rumors, and speculation about a date change, the Star Wars standalone Han Solo movie is officially underway.

Lucasfilm announced the start of production on the film, which is being helmed by The Lego Movie directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, across Star Wars’ social media channels Tuesday with the release of the film’s first photo. Lord and Miller are joined by most of the announced cast in what appears to be the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon.

'Han Solo' movie cast photo

‘Han Solo’ movie cast photo

Star Wars/Lucasfilm

While Miller previously shared a photo of a production slate for the still-untitled Han Solo film last month, principal photography just began on Feb. 20.

The announcement also confirms most of the main cast. Alden Ehrenreich and Donald Glover are portraying a younger Han Solo and Lando Calrissian respectively. Game of ThronesEmilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and Westworld’s Thandie Newton round out the main cast. And while Peter Mayhew did appear as Chewbacca in The Force Awakens, his role in the Han Solo movie is being played by Joonas Suotamo.

Lucasfilm also confirmed that the Han Solo movie, which still doesn’t have a title, will be released May 25, 2018, squashing (for now) speculation that the film would be pushed back to December 2018.

“Watching such inspired people from all over the world, with such unique voices, come together for the sole purpose of making art, is nothing short of miraculous,” Lord and Miller said. “We can’t think of anything funny to say, because we just feel really moved, and really lucky.”

While Ehrenreich and Glover’s roles are confirmed, the other actors’ roles are more mysterious. Harrelson is believed to be Han Solo’s mentor while Waller-Bridge’s role is CGI-driven, likely similar to Alan Tudyk’s K-2SO in Rogue One.

Noticeably missing from the first cast photo is Newton, a later addition to the cast and whose absence is sure to fuel theories about who she might be playing. Newton poked fun on Twitter and noted that she actually is in the photo—but you can’t see her.

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*First Published: Feb 21, 2017, 2:21 pm CST