Later this year, the beloved Star Wars franchise will continue with the first spinoff, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which will be followed next year by Star Wars: Episode VIII in December 2017. The next movie after that will be Han Solo: A Star Wars Story, which is set for release May 25, 2018, exactly 41 years after this iconic character was first introduced in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope. While there is still very little we know about the story, screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan recently revealed that production is set to begin in January.

Biz Journals caught up with Lawrence Kasdan after he was presented with the AJFF Icon Award for Contributions to the Cinematic Arts at the Woodruff Arts Center's Rich Auditorium earlier this month. While the writer wouldn't reveal any details about the plot, he said directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller are getting ready to move to London, to prep for principal photography starting in early 2017. Here's what the writer had to say about the Star Wars spinoff.

"You know, Chris Miller and Phil Lord are going to direct it. They're great, funny and imaginative and we've had a great time together. My son [Jon] and I wrote the script and Chris and Phil are working on it and they're about to move to London to start shooting in January. And it should be fun."

Earlier this month, Alden Ehrenreich was cast as the young Han Solo. All we know about the story thus far is that it will take place before the events of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, offering an origin story for this iconic character. Since he is part of the LucasFilm story group, and co-wrote the script for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Lawrence Kasdan was asked if he could shed any light on the sequels Star Wars: Episode VIII or Star Wars: Episode IX. Here's what he had to say below.

"I have a little information. [Star Wars Episode 8 Director] Rian [Johnson] is a friend of mine. I'm getting to know Colin Trevorrow, who is going to direct Episode 9, so I feel very involved with it."

No other cast member or characters have been confirmed for the Han Solo movie at this time. It's possible that this spinoff could show how Han Solo met Chewbacca for the first time, but that hasn't been confirmed. Hopefully we'll have more casting and story details soon, so stay tuned for more on Han Solo: A Star Wars Story.