Earlier this month, we learned that "Hail, Caesar!" actor Alden Ehrenreich has been cast as the lead in the young Han Solo anthology film currently slated for release in 2018. Now we know when production will begin on the film, which will be directed by "LEGO Movie's" Phil Lord and Chris Miller.

During a Q&A at the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan revealed that "Han Solo" has an early 2017 start date. "You know, Chris Miller and Phil Lord are going to direct it," said Kasdan, as reported by StarWarsNews.net. "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."

Kasdan has an extensive history with "Star Wars," having written scripts for "Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi." Kasdan also co-wrote 2015's "The Force Awakens" with director J.J. Abrams -- a development he initially didn't plan for.

"I was originally going to just write 'Han,' but I had contracted to be in the story group on 'Episode 7,' which became 'The Force Awakens,'" said Kasdan. "And then there were problems. A wonderful writer, Michael Arndt, just couldn’t do the time pressure, and people were being hired in England and it was enormous pressure and he stepped away. We stayed in contact and he’s a lovely man, then J.J. [Abrams] and I took over, and now I found myself instead just doing Han and consulting on 'Force Awakens,' we were actually writing 'Episode 7' together and it happened very fast."

Kasdan added that he has a "little information" about where "Episode VIII" and "Episode IX" are going, saying that he feels "very involved with it" as he's friends with "VIII" director Rian Johnson and is "getting to know" "IX" director Colin Trevorrow.

Directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller (“The LEGO Movie”), written by Lawrence (“The Empire Strikes Back”) and Jon Kasdan and starring Alden Ehrenreich, the “Han Solo” anthology film will be released May 25, 2018.

(via Collider)