Solo: A Star Wars Story Cannes Film Festival]].]] "Solo: A Star Wars Story" had its world premiere on May 10, 2018 at the [[El Capitan Theatre]] in Los Angeles, and also screened on May 15, 2018 at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. The film debuted in selected countries on May 23 and had its US release on May 25, 2018, the 41st anniversary of the release of the original "Star Wars" film (later renamed "A New Hope" to distinguish the film from the series), in which [[Harrison Ford]] first appeared as Han Solo. A "sneak peek" TV spot was released during [[Super Bowl LII]] on
Solo: A Star Wars Story and Chewbacca, who join a heist within the criminal underworld. "Star Wars" creator George Lucas began developing a Han Solo prequel in 2012, and commissioned Lawrence Kasdan to write the screenplay. After Lucas sold Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012, Kasdan was hired to write "" (2015), leaving his son Jonathan to complete the "Solo" script"." Principal photography began in January 2017 at Pinewood Studios, directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. The duo were fired in June 2017 following "creative differences" with Lucasfilm, and Howard was hired as their replacement. With an estimated production budget of at least $275 million,