'Solo: A Star Wars Story' Wraps Production

Earlier this week, director Ron Howard took to his Twitter account to confirm that the upcoming [...]

By Patrick Cavanaugh

Earlier this week, director Ron Howard took to his Twitter account to confirm that the upcoming Han Solo spinoff no longer needed to be referred to as "Untitled Han Solo Movie," but was officially titled "Solo: A Star Wars Story." Howard took to Twitter last night to confirm that the film had officially wrapped, which the crew celebrated with fireworks.

Given all the trials and tribulations that Lucasfilm suffered in the months since shooting on Solo began, it's understandable that the director would want to celebrate the momentous achievement.

Shooting began back in February under directors Chris Miller and Phil Lord, who earned success with the 21 Jump Street films and The LEGO Movie, hinting that the film wouldn't be quite as serious as other installments in the saga. Details about the film were kept under wraps, but in late June, a surprise announcement revealed the directors were departing the project.

Neither the filmmakers nor Lucasfilm gave a specific reason for the departure, but sources reported that the improvisational filmmaking style of the duo didn't mesh well with Lucasfilm's trajectory for the film, which worried the studio that it would head too far down a comedic path.

Howard joined the production when it reportedly had only three weeks left to shoot, but those three weeks grew much longer when reshoots were taken into account to "correct" scenes shot by Lord and Miller. The scheduling of these reshoots resulted in another setback, with star Michael K. Williams no longer available to reprise the role he played in Lord and Miller's scenes, causing Howard to tap longtime collaborator Paul Bettany to take on the role.

While fans were waiting to get any updates on the long shoot, Lucasfilm then announced that Colin Trevorrow, who was attached to direct Episode IX, would also part ways from the studio. Instead, J.J. Abrams would once again sit in the director's chair to conclude the new trilogy.

Three months after taking over the project, Solo has officially wrapped filming, with the production team now heading into the editing room.

Solo: A Star Wars Story is slated to hit theaters May 25, 2018.

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