Star Wars: Are Both Reports About The First Spinoff True?

By Brent McKnight | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

star warsAs we all wait with an edgy glee for J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: The Force Awakens, progress on the first of the standalone spinoff movies keeps right on rolling along. We’ve heard that they’re auditioning a variety of up-and-coming actresses for an unspecified part, and now that screenwriter Gary Whitta left the production, it’s rumored that Simon Kinberg may take over that role for the Gareth Edwards-directed film. We’ve also heard two potential plots, or at least two loose topics, though they seemed to contradict one another. That, however, may not be the case, and both of these seemingly disparate elements could be part of the same the same movie.

You probably figured this out already, but there are potential SPOILERS for the first Star Wars spinoff. Tread cautiously. It should also be noted that this is all unconfirmed, so take it with a grain of salt or two, maybe three.

The first of the two biggest rumors surrounding Edwards’ film are that it prominently features bounty hunters, including fan favorite Boba Fett, and involves a heist, possibly of the plans for the original Death Star that the Rebels use in A New Hope. The other is that the story revolves around a younger version of Han Solo. We expected a solo Han movie at some point, but not until later, so this rumor came as a bit of a surprise. Now, however, Latino Review is hearing that “both these characters are in the same movie,” which could be crazy.

This could be the origins of the Fett versus Han story, exploring their obvious animosity, and possibly show how he gets involved with a more serious criminal element. Perhaps the Rebels use Jabba the Hutt as a kind of middleman to procure the services of the bounty hunters to snatch the plans. Wrapping all of these elements together would serve to enhance their backstory, while also establishing through lines throughout the Star Wars universe, which seems like what Disney is after in this new revamped galaxy far, far away.

star warsEarlier this week, we heard that a handful of actresses, including Tatiana Maslany, Felicity Jones, and Kate and Rooney Mara are among the actresses reading for the female lead in the film. LR’s report also presumes that this “lead” is one of the bounty hunters, who has the potential to be super badass. They kick around a handful of possible identities from the EU, though it is all speculation at this point.

One more piece notes that shooting for Edwards’ film will do more location shooting than The Force Awakens, possibly in Mexico. That doesn’t say much, considering that Mexico has just about every different kind of setting and landscape that you can imagine, but it is an interesting tidbit nonetheless.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens hits theaters December 18, while the first spinoff drops December 16, 2016.