Chewbacca is confirmed for the new Han Solo spin-off film. Rejoice

Looks as though we’re about to see when Han met Chewie.

Speaking at the decidedly unsexy sounding Deutsche Bank 2016 Media, Internet, & Telecom Conference, Disney's Bob Iger livened up proceedings by confirming the heavily rumoured Han Solo spin-off origins story is due in 2018, directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller (The LEGO Movie, the Jump Street films).

After shedding some more light on Gareth Edwards’ Rogue One, set to hit cinemas on 18 December (“it’s about a band of rebels plotting to steal the plans to the Death Star; it takes place right before what was George Lucas‘s first film, which came out in 1977 and is now called ‘A New Hope.”) the mouse house mogul then went and dropped this bombshell:

 “We have others in the works, including one, which is an origin story about Han Solo and Chewy,” before confirming that it would be due for release before Star Wars 8 in 2018, with the possibility of more thereafter.”

Indeed, while plans of a young Han Solo film may have been as sloppily guarded as blueprints to the Death Star, fans of the saga will be even more bouyed by the prospect of Chewie playing a sizeable part in the film, which also goes some way to explain the recent cryptic Tweets of Peter Mayhew, who claimed a big announcement was on the way. 

Will it show them picking the Millennium Falcon off an intergalactic forecourt? Could we finally see Solo using it to make the legendary Kessel Run in under 12 parsecs? Time will tell. 

As for young Solo - well - that's a little more complicated. Back in January, we brought you a list of eight actors Disney had allegedly narrowed down to play the hero, with 29 per cent of you telling us Scott Eastwood would be the best choice, narrowly followed by Jack Reynor on 27 per cent and Miles Teller in third place on 12 per cent.

For a brilliant Star Wars origins story to whet your appetite for now, check out this epic new Darth Maul fan film.