SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY (2018) Production Notes Part 1

The camera is turned on Han Solo, the legendary smuggler with the heart of gold, in "Solo: A Star Wars Story," the second story film from Lucasfilm, following 2016's mega hit "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story."

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PRODUCTION NOTES

SOLO: A PASSION PROJECT

The camera is turned on Han Solo, the legendary smuggler with the heart of gold, in "Solo: A Star Wars Story," the second story film from Lucasfilm, following 2016's mega hit "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story."

Producer Kathleen Kennedy, describing what makes Han Solo such an iconic and beloved character, and one whom Lucasfilm was inspired to feature in a film, says, "He's very authentic. He's a scoundrel, he's a maverick, and there's a mystery to him. Handsome, incredibly charismatic and adorable-that's a pretty great combination for a Star Wars action hero."

Interestingly, the "Solo" project was one of the first George Lucas talked about when he outlined his plans to Kennedy for the Star Wars stand-alone stories. They both agreed that Lawrence Kasdan, writer of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, would be the perfect person to pen it. "Larry Kasdan knows Han Solo better than anybody," says Kennedy. "Given his long association with Star Wars, and deep understanding of Han Solo's character, there was no one better to tell the story, and preserve the spirit and feeling of the original movies."

Writer Lawrence Kasdan was hooked the moment he found out the film was about Han Solo, the character he is most passionate about in the Star Wars canon. "Han was always my favorite, right from the start," says Kasdan. "He's the most exciting guy in the saga for me. He's unpredictable. He's reckless. He's not brilliant. He'll say things that he can't back up. He'll leap in when he should stay back. There's nothing more attractive to me than a screwup who's actually got a good heart but hides it as best he can."

During production on The Force Awakens, the veteran screenwriter found himself in the unique position of penning a new Han Solo adventure while witnessing the character's death on set. It was a rare moment for any writer, and an opportunity he couldn't wait to explore.

Kasdan cites Han's introduction in Star Wars: A New Hope as the primary inspiration for exploring the character's backstory in "Solo." "I've made two Westerns, and there's nothing more Western than the Mos Eisley Cantina in A New Hope. In walks the gunfighter-he looks like a gunfighter, he sits like a gunfighter, he shoots like a gunfighter-and I thought, what happened before this guy walked in the door?"

Sharing Kasdan's love for Westerns is his son and "Solo" co-writer Jonathan Kasdan, who has been a lifelong fan of the Star Wars movies and of Han Solo in particular. Growing up in a "household of Star Wars," as his father likes to say, Jonathan remembers the films as being extremely influential on his development as both a writer and director. It was his enthusiasm for Han Solo, and intimate familiarity with the Star Wars universe, that formed a highly productive and creative rhythm between the two writers.

"I come at this as a fan who thinks of these stories as written in stone, while Larry comes at it as a dramatist who thinks of them as tools," says Jonathan. "And because I'm more of a Star Wars geek than he will ever be, it formed a dynamic between us which determined how much of the lore we were going to be beholden to and how much we were going to go our own way. I think that my reverence and Larry's confidence complemented each other well in the writing process."

Jonathan Kasdan, who was on set during the entire production of "Solo," saw Alden Ehrenreich's performance bring young Han to life. "Han is confident and funny, yet self-conscious and relatable. Alden is perfect in the role, and it was a marvel watching him perform," comments the writer.

One aspect of the story that both writers were determined to explore further than previous films is the relationship between Han and Chewbacca. As a father-and-son writing team, each found the inseparable duo one of the most endearing qualities of the original Star Wars movies.

"I love that relationship," says the elder Kasdan. "I love all the qualities that are embodied by it. There's courage, there's teamwork, there's loyalty and there's a slightly canted view of the world. Their relationship is reassuring, recognizable and speaks to the best in each of them."

"They had that great partnership," agrees Jonathan. "It was loaded with love, was never cruel or hostile, and was just a real intimacy."

Just as important to both Kasdans was creating a story that was unlike any other Star Wars film before it. They wanted "Solo" to be the most character-filled and character-focused story yet, but one that still honors the legacy of the saga. "This is a story that comes out of old-time storytelling," says Lawrence. "It's a story about someone being forged in the crucible of life-in danger, in violence and in love. It's about how a person is formed."

"Other people will judge if that's true," he continues. "But for me, that part has been totally achieved."

Director Ron Howard, a self-avowed Star Wars fan, whose friendship with George Lucas goes back to Lucas' early film, 1973's "American Graffiti," appreciated the merit of this father-and-son writing team. "Larry Kasdan is the greatest resource, not only his sense of Star Wars, but his overall sense of movies and movie heroes, where those muscular action situations intersect with character and test the character in ways that are thematically interesting, and sometimes moving and surprising. Jon loves movies, and he is encyclopedic about them. He thoroughly understands what's great about Star Wars, what's great about Han Solo, as a classic movie character. But, critically, he also has a cutting-edge sense of humor and a contemporary sensibility."

Adds Howard, "This film is charged with youthful energy and cool. While it had to be true to the aesthetic and sensibility of Star Wars, we also wanted to push the envelope to make it work for young audiences, so it would feel more relatable than nostalgic. And yet, in a way, this is the first real character study in the galaxy so far for fans. The story very much reflects the spirit of the original movies in the combination of playfulness, thematic focus, mixed with great action, and a universe that is fascinating, inviting, entertaining and a little bit thought-provoking."

"Solo" explores Han Solo's formative years and follows his journey through a series of impactful encounters, combining themes of trust, loyalty, love and betrayal with lighthearted humor, wit and rollicking action. As Howard explains: "This is a rite-of-passage story, consistent with Star Wars, with many themes that will resonate with audiences. It's about one character's journey, the way that he is tested by the unique challenges that he faces and by the people he meets, to become the character we know so well."

BRINGING THE CHARACTERS TO LIFE

"Solo: A Star Wars Story" features an exciting cast of both emerging and veteran stars in its impressive lineup.

The filmmakers had a big challenge casting Han Solo. Says Kennedy, "Harrison Ford is so unique and has embodied the character for so many years that they were gigantic shoes to fill. We weren't looking for someone who looked like Harrison; we didn't want an impersonation of him nor his Han Solo. We wanted an actor who could find those traits that are so lovable, so roguish, about Han Solo."

Alden Ehrenreich was one of the very first actors the filmmakers saw. He was not widely known to mainstream audiences but had caught the filmmakers' attention, and the critics' alike, with his scene-stealing performances in "Hail, Caesar!," "Blue Jasmine" and "Rules Don't Apply." Producer Kathleen Kennedy comments, "Alden tapped into the things that make the character special but without imitating Harrison. He captured the essence, that maverick spirit. He was funny and charming, cool and handsome. He had all those qualities, but he also had that hidden vulnerability specific to Han. It was a very intuitive portrayal."

Ron Howard concurs, "Alden is thoughtful. He's an artist, and he's very passionate about his work on a very pure level. He has thrown himself into creating this character, not as an imitation of Harrison but understanding the connection between Harrison, the Han Solo character and his own instincts that can connect him to the character in similar ways." As a major fan of the Star Wars films, Ehrenreich was thrilled when he learned he had the role. "It's really special to be part of a franchise that has so much heart and that means so much to people, and to play such a multi-dimensional character in the Star Wars universe."

Ehrenreich recognized the responsibility of taking on the role of such a beloved iconic character, and he was raring to go: "There are so many things referenced in the original movie that the audience will get to see. Han meeting Chewie for the first time. Han's first encounter with Lando. The Kessel Run. Han getting his blaster. And all the people Han encounters, the turns those relationships take, they have much to do with the person Han becomes. It was all a really thrilling prospect."

He was excited about the filmmakers' approach to the material as well. "I loved their vision," Ehrenreich says. "I loved the humor and the angle they were coming from. It's a big epic adventure story with a crew of people at the heart of it that you care about, and who care about each other. But because of Han's nature, the world he grew up in and the people he meets, there's an edge to the story, and a toughness, which gives it a really cool vibe." Emilia Clarke, who plays Qi'ra, says of her co-star, "Alden's an incredible actor who is beyond capable of doing this role justice. He has put a staggering amount of work into it. He brings that Han Solo swagger, that energy and that spirit, and he's so endearing."

Ehrenreich had a positive experience working with director Ron Howard, and says, "Ron came with an uncanny sense of Star Wars. He spoke the language, he knew the humor and he had takes on the scenes that were really clear and specific. He has so much energy and clearly loves making movies, and that was infectious to be around. He also understands actors on a really deep level, not least of all because he was one, and being the beneficiary of that level of understanding was wonderful."

Three-time Academy Award nominee Woody Harrelson brings charm, a maverick spirit and danger to the role of Beckett, a career criminal, thief and smuggler. Harrelson says of his character, "Beckett has been a part of the criminal element for a long time. I think he has a big heart, but he is clearly very dangerous."

Describing Beckett's relationship with Han, Harrelson offers, "Han joins forces with Beckett and his group. They're trying to pull off these heists, but there are a lot of complications and, during the course of them, I think Beckett does teach Han a thing or two about how to live-perhaps not the most positive things, like don't trust anyone, but things that become codes he lives by."

Comments Howard on Harrelson's portrayal, "Woody always brings so much to every role because of his honesty. He has a great sense of humor and an exciting creative streak. He loves to find the nuances that will make a character interesting and entertaining. If there's laughter to be found in a scene, he will find it."

Creating a new character in the Star Wars universe has been a thrill for Harrelson, especially working with Ron Howard. "He is a master of his craft. He knows exactly what he wants, and his enthusiasm is unbridled and infectious."

Qi'ra, Han's first love, is played by one of the U.K.'s most talented and popular actresses, Emilia Clarke, known for "Game of Thrones." "Qi'ra is probably the most complex character in the film," says producer Simon Emanuel. "Emilia is a wonderful actress and has an amazing ability to convey the enigmatic qualities that Qi'ra possesses. What you see on the surface is not necessarily what's going on underneath."

Howard adds, "Emilia is wise beyond her years in a way I really admire and appreciate. Understanding Han's relationships with women on a more emotional level is helpful in broadening out the character, understanding what makes him tick and what's he's capable of feeling. Emilia really understood that, in order to learn more about Han, we needed to see a very dimensional female lead."

Clarke was excited to join the Star Wars universe and admits to "geeking up" on Star Wars to get her performance pitch-perfect. "It's really exciting to be creating a new, strong female character in the Star Wars universe, especially one who is integral to the story of such a beloved character in cinema history."

About the relationship Qi'ra has with Han, Clarke says, "When we join Han and Qi'ra, we crash into their existence, both teenage urchins, surviving life on the streets in an unforgiving world. They love each other, but at that moment they get ripped apart. When Han finds her again, she's second-in-command to a dangerous mob boss, in the heart of this gangster life. The independent survivor spirit within her is still there but has merged forces with this sophisticated, whip-smart, ambitious woman."

Can Han trust her? "I think she has done some dark things," comments Clarke. "Han softens her. She's bound to the lifestyle she has found herself in to survive, but she will always hold the torch for Han, and it's that realization, that reminder, which keeps her human and keeps her in this ambiguous place of whether she's good or bad."

Alden Ehrenreich comments on Clarke and her portrayal of Qi'ra, saying, "She's the love of Han's young life. He dreams about having his own ship and traveling the galaxy with her to escape the dark totalitarian world and call his own shots. Emilia is wonderful at the mysterious aspects the role demands. She's very detailed, very specific, which makes Qi'ra such a dynamic character. She's very evocative on screen, very compelling to watch, and she has a wicked sense of humor."

Donald Glover was the only name on the filmmakers' list to play Lando Calrissian. Recalls Kennedy with a laugh, "I have 18- and 20-year-old kids who went insane when they heard that Donald was playing this role."

Glover is an award-winning writer, director, musician, stand-up comedian and actor, known for his work on "Community," "Atlanta," "30 Rock" and as his alter ego, Childish Gambino. Says Howard, "Lando is incredibly cool. He's funny, he's entertaining, handsome and charismatic. Donald has brought the role to the screen with such enthusiasm and commitment. He's an extremely creative guy, with tremendous respect for who Lando was, what he meant to the Star Wars films and to pop culture."

"Lando was my first action toy, so the character really spoke to me, and I am honored to dig a little deeper into him," says Glover. "I think he's a really intriguing character. Sometimes he's good, sometimes bad, and really only beholden to himself. These are interesting and honest traits."

Glover adds, "He's very smooth, very self-assured and very elegant, and he's the type to be the life and soul of the party-if he see it as being advantageous to him."

A huge fan of Billy Dee Williams' original Lando, Glover wanted to honor the role's legacy while giving audiences a contemporary view. "Billy did something really special," says the actor. "The subtlety and the control in his portrayal were really interesting. So you have to do something special, but in a different way. He was so cool, but cool changes. It's all context and perspective at the time. That presented an interesting challenge for me."

Filmmakers were struck by the immediate and amazing chemistry Ehrenreich shared with Glover at their first audition together. "The energy was just fantastic. They were sparring with each other," comments Simon Emanuel. "The combination of the two of them is pretty dynamic," agrees Kennedy.

About the relationship between Han and Lando, Alden Ehrenreich says, "Han and Lando are both trying to be the fastest pilot, the coolest guy in the room, but they end up having a grudging respect, as well as an understanding and affection for each other as a result of the violent and crazy situations they find themselves in. Donald brings so much humor and heart, and his own natural cool to that dynamic. It was brilliant to work with him."

Glover had a fantastic time on the shoot. "I definitely have the best clothes, and, from the hair to the capes to the boots, I've had a blast being Lando," relates Glover. "On a more serious note, I felt like the story hits the sweet spot between being something everyone can understand and relate to, while also being true to the Star Wars world."

The brilliant and beautiful British actress Thandie Newton plays Val, a tough, no-nonsense gangster in Beckett's group. "Thandie is incredibly charismatic and has an extraordinary presence," says Ron Howard. "She is very intelligent, very gracious and wildly talented. She lives by a code of ethics and principles that are very admirable, and which she infused into the character of Val."

Describing Val, Thandie Newton says, "Val's so calm; nothing fazes her. Even when she's in the most threatening situation, she remains calm. She's incredibly sure of herself." Like her co-stars, Newton was thrilled to create a new character in the Star Wars universe. "Who doesn't love Star Wars?" she asks. "I remember when I used to watch the Star Wars films as a kid and thinking it was always Han Solo who brought the fun into it."

Newton was particularly drawn to the themes of rebellion against societal norms and characters being on the run. "I feel a kinship with Val, that sense of being on the outside of society, which is very much where this group finds themselves," says the actor. "I loved the anarchic counterculture vibe the group has."

About working closely with Woody Harrelson, Newton says: "Woody is just a breath of fresh air. Every moment, every line he delivers, the way he moves, the way he interprets the character, he brings the unexpected to everything he does. He's very free, very instinctive, and working with someone like that is pure joy because every moment is also an opportunity to bring every ounce of your best self, your best energy, to the work because that's what he does. He's also the best fun, and so kind."

An English actress and writer, known for the award-winning hit comedy TV series "Fleabag," Phoebe Waller-Bridge, with the help of Industrial Light & Magic, takes on the role of L3-37, a self-made droid and Lando's copilot. "She reconstructed herself," says Waller-Bridge. "She started out as an astromech droid like Artoo, gave herself a voice and limbs and is able to do lots of things that she wouldn't otherwise have been able to do. She's very revolutionary, very determined."

Waller-Bridge particularly enjoyed the concept that L3 believes in rights for droids and believes that they're being exploited. L3 thinks it's time to stand up and speak out. This allowed her to improvise during some comic moments on set. "She's fueled by injustice when she sees how droids are treated by the universe," comments the actor, "that they're seen as second-class citizens to humans, when she thinks that droids are far superior intellectually and, in her case, physically as well. She wants to free them."

Offering insight on the complicated relationship between L3 and Lando, Waller-Bridge says, "They're incredibly close. I think they lean on each other. I don't think she's ever met a human who treats her like an equal. And that's very significant to her. They have a mutual respect for each other, but they also drive each other crazy. A great partnership nonetheless! He's vague and smooth, and she's very upfront and bullish about what she thinks is right and wrong."

The filmmakers appreciated Waller-Bridge's impromptu creativity. Says Ron Howard, "Phoebe is hilarious, irreverent, smart and a really exciting new character in the Star Wars universe. She is also a hugely inventive improvisational talent and a terrific writer, and the writers and I adored what she was able to bring to the character."

"It doesn't get much cooler," says Waller-Bridge about creating the first significant female droid in the Star Wars universe. "She's incredibly funny and inspiring, and to play such a strong woman in this universe, albeit she's a droid, makes her even more unusual as a character and allowed me more freedom and fun with it."

British actor Paul Bettany takes on the role of the mercurial Dryden Vos. "He is a sociopath, unpredictable, anarchic," offers Bettany. "He's like one of those characters that appeared post-perestroika, after the introduction of the free market economy into a country that culturally had no system of ownership. Some people were trodden on, and some people did the treading. Dryden is like one of those guys who clawed his way up."

The relationship between Qi'ra and Dryden is mysterious and loaded. "As much as Dryden seemingly has a hold over Qi'ra," says Bettany, "she has a hold over him too. He's fascinated by her. Whatever the nature of their relationship is, as close as this total sociopath is able to, he loves her in a surprisingly deep way, probably as a reflection of himself."

About Han Solo, Bettany comments, "Dryden is suspicious of Han but at the same time intrigued by his relationship with Qi'ra, and thinks it can be useful. He sees similarities in Han, a burgeoning young criminal, but Dryden feels that Han's heart is so big, he just can't be the bad guy. That's what's delicious about Han, but Dryden sees it as weakness."

The closest relationship Han Solo has is with Chewbacca, played by former college basketball player Joonas Suotamo. Chewbacca is central to the action in "Solo: A Star Wars Story," which gave Suotamo a real opportunity to embrace the character.

Says Suotamo, "Chewbacca is truly the most loyal companion. He's very attentive, always alert to danger because he's lived such a long, dangerous life, always on the watch. He is the perfect partner to have watching out for you. It becomes clear to Chewbacca that Han needs someone to take care of him."

The actor adds, "Han's too much of a risk-taker, overconfident that he can accomplish any task. Chewbacca is there to tell him that maybe he needs to think first. It brings enormous fun into the scenes."

Says Alden Ehrenreich of their special relationship, "It's like watching a married couple. There's an unspoken closeness. They are always bickering, but at the end of the day there's a deep and unbreakable bond. Chewbacca is very emotional, very loyal, and cares a great deal about Han."

About his co-star Joonas Suotamo, Ehrenreich comments, "One of the things audiences respond to with Chewbacca is his big open heart, and, while he has to be mindful of all the technical requirements involved in moving in the suit, Joonas was really able to bring so much to the performance, so much heart in what he does, and that's really impressive."

CREATING THE WORLDS

The filming of "Solo: A Star Wars Story" took place mostly at Pinewood Studios in the U.K., as well as two foreign locations in the Dolomites and Fuerteventura, settings equally stunning in very distinctive ways.

The task of designing the sets fell to production designer Neil Lamont. A Star Wars veteran following his work as co-production designer on "Rogue One" and supervising art director on The Force Awakens, Lamont was thrilled to return to the Star Wars universe. "It's such an aspirational story and a journey of such scope for the characters," comments Lamont. "It was a fantastic creative opportunity to discover and design, build and show audiences such diverse settings, and to realize environments that have been spoken about so often in the past films."

Lamont was able to refer to an "amazing plethora of material" from Ralph McQuarrie and Joe Johnston, Star Wars' original concept designers, which was especially helpful in the design of the film, as the filmmakers wanted to capture and preserve the spirit of the late '60s/early '70s, with more than a nod to the Western genre. "We cast our research net far and wide, and kept returning to the themes of the Western genre again and again, and it weaves itself in and out each of the sets as a theme and as an overall look," informs Lamont.

"We have tried to keep the original aesthetic," adds supervising art director Alastair Bullock, "or at least the spirit of the original aesthetic, while upgrading the build quality and the finishes to modern standards to adhere to the scrutiny and expectation of today's audiences."

CORELLIA

Together with Lucasfilm design supervisor James Clyne, Lamont came up with the idea to present Corellia, Han's home planet, as a Star Wars industrial version of Venice. The entire planet is made up of archipelagos, connected by bridges. "We asked ourselves how they would create such big spacecraft in this world," says Lamont. "It just came about that we felt so much could be done over water, by creating these different islands with different functions-administrative or industrial or residential, all interconnected by bridges and roads."

The various Corellian environments were built across Pinewood Studios and at Fawley Power Station, an oil-fired, disused power station built in the late '60s and located in Hampshire, in the south of England. Its utilitarian boiler houses and turbine halls hugely inform the overall look and design of Corellia. "We could never have afforded, nor had the space, to build a set that had so much technical depth within it," notes Lamont, "so once we had found Fawley, and it gave us the concrete structures, the broken-down piping, the general dirty and rusty feel we wanted, the location very much became a foundation to how we imagined the rest of Corellia."

At Fawley, with additional shooting at the Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey, the filmmakers staged one of the film's most thrilling action sequences: Han's speeder chase, giving the creative teams the chance to build some fabulous vehicles, and the special effects and stunt teams the opportunity to perform some incredible work.

The development of Han's speeder was an extended process and an interdepartmental collaboration among the art, action vehicles and special effects teams. Senior art director Gary Tomkins explains their starting point for the speeder design: "We based the design on the American muscle car from the late '60s/early '70s, combined with speeder technology, and taking design cues from Luke's speeder and various other craft seen in the Star Wars universe."

Many concepts, designs and models by teams working in both the U.K. and the U.S. were produced, and after a long process the team arrived at a design that made everyone happy. The filmmakers had decided the speeder should be blue with white racing stripes, and a little beaten up. "From an early stage, everyone wanted a quirky, rather than slick-looking, vehicle. Han steals it at the beginning of the film, so it looks like it's been around the block, had a history before he's acquired it. But it has been engineered like a race car. It drives like a real race car, and it could do well over a hundred miles an hour."

Special effects supervisor Dominic Tuohy adds, "The speeder chase really excited me about this project. We've seen a lot of chases within the Star Wars franchise but we have never seen a speeder chase." Tuohy's team constructed the speeder as a four-wheel-drive vehicle with 525 brake-horsepower engine and the facility to adapt from a four- to a two-wheel drive at the push of a button. "The real challenge was making it look like a traditional vehicle, without wheels, as obviously the Star Wars speeders don't have them, and it was an opportunity for us to do some fantastic engineering, building the speeder to endure fast corners, different surfaces, tarmac, concrete, all the things a standard car couldn't do," says Tuohy. "We fitted a combination of rigs and pod-rigs to fit both cast and stunt drivers at the same time in a way in which the stunt driver could not be seen, and for the camera crew to mount their equipment."

In the exciting action sequence, Moloch, one of creature effects supervisor Neal Scanlan's incredible creations, gives chase to Han, and the teams were tasked to construct a contrasting speeder. "In terms of both design and color, the speeder needed to feel intimidating to Han during the chase, so we worked on the basis of a heavy truck, with a front grille with a great big bull bar, which would feel really menacing behind you," says Tomkins.

Again, a lengthy design and build process ensued before the filmmakers arrived at the finished vehicle. "Again, very quirky," says Tomkins. "Moloch drives in a little cage in the middle of the vehicle; towards the front there's a cage with dogs. The creature effects department made two animatronic dogs, so when the car is speeding along, you can see the dogs snarling and growling in the cage to add to the intimidation."

Describing the chase, Tuohy says, "Part of the car chase was showing Han's driving skills as well as his flaws, so we had him deliberately hitting things that would explode to keep the audiences guessing as to whether he's in control or not." For the special effects team, this meant lots of pyrotechnics and atmospheric effects, which bolster the authenticity of the chase for a shoot.

The final illusion was completed with a seamless integration between the on-set enhancements designed and installed by the Art Department and the digital set extensions created in Visual Effects. This close collaboration between the departments was a theme throughout the making of the film.

At Pinewood, the creative teams built the Den of the White Worms, again taking their design cues from Fawley, to construct the dark concrete space where Mother Proxima, the leader of the vampirish White Worm clan, dwells.

Supervising art director Alastair Bullock informs, "We've created a stagnant underground chamber in an old industrial plant. The concrete nature of the set reflects the brutality of Mother Proxima, and this community of lost boys and girls, who must perform these dastardly deeds on her behalf, in return for her protection." The challenge for the creative team was to create a set allowing for the creatures to emerge from the water, which could accommodate the puppeteers as well as the performers, and there were lots of them!

Also at Pinewood, the filmmakers crafted the Space Port, a Corellian environment reminiscent of Ellis Island. The filmmakers imagined how an industrial non-Empire setting would look, where Han and Qi'ra try to evade the White Worm syndicate and the Imperial officers, and escape from the planet. Lamont comments, "The idea was to show a mixture of the crumbling old Corellian architecture and how aspirational Corellia was before it became an Empire-occupied territory. We bought into this concrete feel, given we were using the concrete structures at Fawley for our exteriors, and showed Corellia's faded elegance tonally with the murals running along the side of the set, illustrating early space flight, remnants of a bygone area, juxtaposed with the familiar Imperial elements."

The set filled the studio's famous 007 Stage, a huge space. Bullock says, "It needed it. It amplifies Han's vulnerability; a very small boy lost and alone in this huge space, and on the run."

MIMBAN

In imagining "the mud planet" of Mimban, Neil Lamont drew inspiration for the planet's various settings from World War I references: the battlefield, the airfield, the trenches. Lamont explains: "Mimban is a planet being assailed by the Empire, the oppression of an indigenous race. It's a battlefield, a lot of fog, a lot of smoke, so we could get away with a big painted backing, again using the 007 Stage, with a horizon of a cloudy sky, and using that huge space to put in craters, ruins, creating camps with tents. We had a lot of fun with this set."

But it really came to life when it was populated by the cast of characters, the Mimbanese, the Mud Troopers and the creatures. Then the special effects team could demonstrate their impressive skills, creating a dark and smoky atmosphere, and going to town with the pyrotechnics. Says Tuohy, "We introduced rockets and live explosions. Everything is practical. Nothing was for show. It really feels that we're in the middle of it." The visual effects team added to the scale of the battle by extending the fight to include the new ATDT walkers and background explosions even larger than the giant 007 Stage could contain. The team used gray shale, sourced from a Welsh quarry, to dress the Mimban sets. Bullock comments, "We had a mountain of it on the backlot, which we would just keeping digging into to dress the Mimban sets. The 007 Stage at one time was completely covered in gray slate."

Arguably the most significant set in Mimban is The Pen, an Imperial-improvised prison deep dark pit, the makeshift log roof supported by one central wooden beam. The light from a hatch door in the ceiling, the only entrance to The Pen, illuminates what happens below. The actual set measured some 24 feet square and 18 feet deep, and was filled with gray goop, a sticky, sludgy mud, which provided real physical challenges.

Principal photography started on this set and became a bonding experience for the company, where everyone united in the challenges they faced. But after two weeks, everyone was very relieved to be done with Mimban!

VANDOR

To capture the Iridium Mountains of Vandor-a series of snow-capped peaks, picturesque mountain streams and sheer cliffs imagined by the film's writers, where important scenes, including the Train Heist, take place-the filmmakers wanted an extraordinary location. They chose the Dolomites, a mountain range located in northeastern Italy and making up the eastern part of the Alps. The filmmakers also wanted to situate the cast of characters in a real place to show the scope and scale of their journey, so the visual effects unit shot background plates for the Train Heist sequence by utilizing both aerial photography with the same digital cameras used on the film and by shooting over 20,000 images across an area of 26 miles from a helicopter.

A reduced unit traveled to the Dolomites for a six-day shoot, and cast and crew took over the small village of Misurina, which sits some 1,756 meters above sea level and reflects the southeast slopes of Tre Cime di Lavaredo, the mountain cluster on which the unit shot. A breathtaking landscape, with an otherworldly quality, this was an incredibly ambitious and challenging shoot.

A daily convoy of helicopters, 4x4s and a team of robust and friendly alpine guides, the local Sherpas, ferried cast, crew and equipment up the mountains to an altitude of 2,400 meters. Working in such an exposed location, the unit had to make do with limited resources once at the top, not least of all because changing weather conditions could quickly render the mountains unsafe to shoot on, requiring the crew to vacate swiftly. With temperatures as low as 15 to 20 degrees below zero, the unit had their work cut out for them. But the sight of Han and Chewbacca having snowball fights during breaks in filming, everyone joining in at times, made it a fun experience for the team, and the beauty of the place was truly something special to behold.

Thandie Newton summed it up for everyone: "I'm always humbled by the kinds of experiences we have doing this job. In the Dolomites, in that vista, being tiny specks among those incredible mountains was quite wonderful. It was like being at camp with the Star Wars team. I absolutely loved it. It's such a gift to the audience to see this extraordinary landscape, to be reminded that there are places in the world that are so magnificent and unspoiled."

Other environments on Vandor include Fort Yspo Saloon Lodge and Dryden's Star Yacht, with both sets being constructed on soundstages at Pinewood. And Vandor is where Han first encounters the Millennium Falcon, also shot at Pinewood.

Lamont and set decorator Lee Sandales used the great ocean liners of the 1930s as their inspiration for Dryden's Star Yacht's interior architecture and dressing, and the Art Deco influences in the design are clear. The creative teams took the opportunity to create, build and dress sets with an opulent finish, with beautiful gold and silver metallic luster to the elements. Dryden's Private Study is also an enchanting space, a museum of glass cases filled with ancient artifacts, old weapons, gems and other invaluable oddities and treasures. The treasures were garnered from the environments and indigenous populations that Dryden and the Crimson Dawn syndicate have plundered. If audiences look carefully, they will see familiar items from around the galaxy.

Instead of using blue screen, Dryden's ship was given a real view out into the world, like the Millennium Falcon cockpit sequences, provided by the visual effects department. In order to create this illusion "in camera," they first shot 360-degree photography from a helicopter in the Dolomites. To get a clear image, they photographed with the doors open and the crew strapped in for safety. Visual effects supervisor Rob Bredow informs, "We then took the final quality images and projected them onto a 370-foot-long surface, comprised of 10 blended laser projectors with special lenses to accommodate the set. The final resolution was over 16,000 pixels wide, or over eight times the resolution of HDTV."

The Fort Ypso Saloon is a dark and cavernous tavern, perhaps not quite as lawless, but with a very similar vibe to the Mos Eisely Cantina. Says Neil Lamont, "I think the Saloon is the first example of wooden architecture in Star Wars [not including Wookiees' and Ewoks' treehouses]."

The creative teams looked at the Tatooine bar and used its design for the main bar area of the Saloon. Lamont elaborates, "It had good circulation, it had good depth, and from that we then worked in the other areas, namely the sabacc room and the droid-fight area." The sabacc area is a two-tiered galleried space around the eight-sided sabacc wooden table, which is set in a sunken pit. Taxidermy heads, hunting trophies of wild and wonderful creatures, designed by the creatures special effects team, are mounted on the walls.

Dressing this set was a huge thrill for set decorator Lee Sandales, as he could fully embrace the Western themes. "The Saloon is in an outlaw town, in a very harsh alpine environment, and we dressed it with those cues in mind," he says. "We started with the most basic theme, that it should be a wooden structure, with wood furniture. Vandor is cold, so they would need stoves, and, based on the side of the mountain, they would have their own brewery, because they couldn't be bringing goods in too often."

In keeping with the Star Wars tradition for using found objects, the team cast the net wide to source objects from almost everywhere. Sandales relates, "We found these really amazing 1930s Swiss toboggans in an antiques market in the South of France. They were just perfect. They look like Star Wars sledges. We didn't need to do anything to them. In Mos Eisley the optics behind the bar are the flame cans from a jet engine. I found some broken ones in the breakage yard and used them here. It's a small but lovely added connection between the two films."

The Millennium Falcon, arguably everyone's favorite Star Wars set, is not the Millennium Falcon audiences know and love but a clean version imagined by the filmmakers in its "original" state when it belonged to Lando. The challenge for the filmmakers was preserving the legacy feel as far as possible while presenting a fresher version of it. Audiences have to believe that, at the end of the day when Han gets the Falcon, the ship has evolved from what they see in "Solo" to the version with which they are already so familiar.

The exterior now has a smooth outer shell, the missing panels replaced, and the internal pipes and mechanisms covered up; altogether a much better maintained version than the one with which audiences are familiar. One very important new element is a wedge-shaped escape pod that sits between the front mandibles, with this origin story explaining why the Falcon we know has the shape it does.

The exterior Millennium Falcon set built for The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi was repurposed. It was situated on Pinewood's backlot, weighed 31 tons, and it had to be moved around using two cranes. As a result, the Falcon could be seen flying across the Buckinghamshire skies on more than one occasion during the summer months of 2017 as it was repositioned from one space to another in keeping with the narrative demands of the day.

The filmmakers looked for their cues as to how the Falcon might have looked when Lando owned it in the legacy films. Explains Liam Georgensen, art director for the Millennium Falcon and known affectionately among the crew as The Falcon Man: "For example, the padding in the corridors in A New Hope is slightly whiter than it is in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. We took that as a hint that at an earlier time it was a lot whiter, before Han got his hands on it. So what you're looking at now is a much cleaner version of the corridors. We took that idea and applied it to the areas we don't see in the legacy films to work some of Lando's character into the ship, as well as tidying up all the exposed wires and making it much more pristine throughout the areas that audiences know."

The Interior Millennium Falcon set took three months to build and is the largest interior Falcon set ever made on any Star Wars film. Again, the filmmakers repurposed elements created for The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, expanding the interior to encompass Lando's quarters, which boast an extensive walk-in closet and a luxurious sleeping area, a double bed draped in soft fabrics and surrounded by controls and gadgets to keep Lando entertained. Among other pieces, the set decorating team sourced a pair of square dumbbells and a pair of silver headphones, a nod to a similar pair seen in A New Hope, hooked on a seat in the main hold. "We thought it would be fun to suggest those headphones had been kicking around for a while," says the set decorator, Lee Sandales.

In the lounge, the creative team was tasked to add elements to suggest the Falcon is a more social place under Lando's guardianship. A chandelier has been added over the familiar chess table, and some yellow protective covers to the seating area. The area now offers a bar, a circular ottoman seat with integral music system and a brand-new navigation system control, which retains some elements of the older version but is a much slicker and well-maintained piece of machinery.

There is also a trophy case, containing Lando's prize possessions, including a miniature replica of the Falcon itself, 3D printed from the working model that was made for the build of the exterior ship, a speeder bike model, as well as a model of Cloud City. Yellow upholstery throughout is inspired by the color of Lando's shirt.

The filmmakers have also added the engine room to the interior, an area that has only been hinted at in previous Star Wars films. Says Georgensen, "What we're showing is only a tiny part of the inner workings of the ship, perhaps just an area accessible for maintenance and for giving it a little speed boost when needed, but the idea is to hint at the more industrial side of the ship, which later becomes more exposed once Han has had his way with it."

Utmost respect was paid to the original design when it came to revamping the cockpit. "We were very careful with what we did to the cockpit, but there is still an element of Lando about it, fresh upholstery on the chair, a little pop of yellow on the back seats," says Georgensen. The filmmakers repurposed the cockpit set made for The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, but all the control panels were completely remade and, while there are extra switches, every LED is in exactly the same place as it is in the original films. There were also requirements to make the cockpit as practically interactive as possible, so every switch had to work. They also had to provide plug-in ports on the right-hand side of the cockpit with which L3 could interact.

The Millennium Falcon is exposed to some extreme turbulence during the film, and it fell to the special effects team to create the movement, which they did with a combination of gimbals and purpose-built rigs. "We make it move to look like it's really in trouble," says Dominic Tuohy. "It's not a camera shake. The set is actually shaking, and we're moving it five degrees either way and very violently, which allows everything in that set to vibrate and move so you get that natural movement. The actors aren't trying to move; physics is taking over. They're actually trying to hold on."

For the first time, visual effects utilized rear-projection wrapping screens the height of the soundstage 180 degrees round the cockpit so the actors could see and react to preprepared animations rendered by ILM of flying and entering hyperspace. Explains Rob Bredow, "We generated the shots very much the same way it is done for a simulator ride in an amusement park to make it as immersive and realistic as possible, not just for our actors but for the camera, and primarily for the audience. It completely changes the character of the lighting on the actor's face so you can actually see hyperspace in Han's face. As Han Solo goes into hyperspace for the first time in the Millennium Falcon, it is reflected in his eyes. Those are shots that would be impossible to get without this technology."

END PART 1 Continued in Part 2

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