For everyone looking forward to Han Solo’s spinoff film, rest assured that Chewbacca will play a large part.
Disney chief Bob Iger discussed future plans for the Star Wars franchise during the Deutsche Bank 2016 Media, Internet & Telecom Conference on Tuesday. The Han Solo standalone movie wasn’t his only focus, but his confirmation of the return of a fan-favorite character has gained quite a bit of attention.
According to The Wrap, Iger confirmed that the film will be an origin story for Chewbacca and Han Solo, meaning we’re not just getting some Chewie in the upcoming film, but a whole lot of him! This is slated for a 2018 release.
Iger also spoke about Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which will hit cinemas on December 18, 2016. It “is about a band of rebels plotting to steal the plans to the Death Star,” Iger explains. “It takes place right before what was George Lucas‘s first film, which came out in 1977 and is now called A New Hope.”
If you seriously need some more Han Solo in your life, you’ll need to sit through a couple more movies first. After Rogue One this year year, Episode VIII will premiere in 2017, and then we’ll be getting to the standalone origin story, which has yet to cast its star.
That being said, a Han Solo comic is in the works from writer Marjorie Liu and artist Mark Brooks. This will take a look at a different part of Han’s life, after A New Hope and before Empire Strikes Back.
“This is a Han Solo who doesn’t quite know who he is anymore,” says Liu. “He doesn’t think about politics, and suddenly he’s thrust into this life-or-death struggle for beliefs he didn’t even know he cared about — and it has changed him. He doesn’t want to believe that change, but he has.”
The cover also prominently features Chewbacca.