The Han Solo Movie Just Added Emilia Clarke, And We Are Excited

When Star Wars fans follow the adventures of a young Han Solo on the big screen in 2018, they can look forward to an impressive cast. Earlier this year, Alden Ehrenreich was finally confirmed to be playing the smuggler, and last month Donald Glover was added on as Lando Calrissian. Now it's been officially announced that Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke has been brought aboard as well.

Seemingly out of nowhere, StarWars.com announced that Emilia Clarke will be one of the lead actors in the Han Solo spinoff. Sadly, no details were provided about who she will play other than she's someone that Han and Chewie "will encounter on their adventures," but this makes her the third actor to be officially added to the highly-anticipated Anthology movie.

Given the fame that Emilia Clarke has secured playing Daenerys Targaryen on Game of Thrones, not to mention her big appearances in Terminator Genisys and Me Before You, it's a safe assumption that she'll be one of the main characters in the Han Solo spinoff, or at least someone integral to the plot. However, what's unclear is if she's playing the same "female lead" character that's been discussed over the last few months. A few weeks back, Tessa Thompson, Naomi Scott and Zoe Kravitz were reportedly the frontrunners for that role. Supposedly that same role was specifically looking for a non-white actress, and assuming that's true, then that would definitely rule out Clarke playing the same character. Lucasfilm loves to keep details regarding their upcoming productions locked tight for as long as possible, so it may be a while before we learn official details about Clarke's character.

No specific plot details for the Han Solo movie have been announced yet, though it's rumored we could see how he obtained the Millennium Falcon. All that's certain for now is that the movie will follow the eponymous protagonist years before he joined the Rebel Alliance.This is during the same time Han was being a scoundrel with Chewbacca and Lando Calrissian, so it will be interesting to see what he was like at that age. As almost everyone reading this knows by now, Han Solo met his demise last December in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, meaning that Harrison Ford's time with the character (barring some kind of flashback) is over. Now the smuggler will live on (in a way) as hardcore fans and casual viewers alike see what shenanigans Han got into long before he became an intergalactic hero.

Directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the Han Solo spinoff movie was originally expected to hit theaters on May 25, 2018. However, like with the Donald Glover casting, the Emilia Clarke report simply stated that it is "set for release in 2018," so it's possible that there's been a scheduling change. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for any updates on that front or other areas of the blockbuster.