A “STAR Wars” spinoff film will tell the backstory of space smuggler Han Solo, Disney has announced.

    The new movie is to be directed by Christopher Miller and Phil Lord, the men behind the hugely successful “Lego” movie.

    The charismatic criminal turned rebellion hero returns in the next instalment of “Star Wars,” “The Force Awakens,” this Christmas.

    Actor Harrison Ford last played Solo in 1983’s “Return of the Jedi.” No details or casting have yet been announced, but the Hollywood Reporter said the script would be written by father and son team Lawrence and Jon Kasdan.

    Lawrence Kasdan co-wrote “The Empire Strikes Back,” “Return of the Jedi” and “The Force Awakens,” the latter with director JJ Abrams.

    There was a huge excitement in the fan community earlier this year when an extended trailer for the new film featured a brief appearance of Solo and his Millennium Falcon co-pilot Chewbacca, apparently on the deck of his famous spaceship, uttering the words, “Chewie, we’re home ...”

    The untitled Han Solo project is scheduled to be released May 25, 2018. (SD-Agencies)