Movies

Han Solo Movie Hires Selma/Arrival Cinematographer Bradford Young

Han Solo Movie Cinematographer
By Peter Sciretta

Disney has Star Wars movies plotted out through 2021 and beyond. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is set for release later this year, while Rian Johnson's Star Wars: Episode VIII is just beginning its post production journey. And Phil Lord and Chris Miller's Untitled Han Solo Star Wars Anthology Film is gearing up to go into production. And we've started to lean some of the people who will help bring Han Solo's origin story to the big screen.

We know that Alden Ehrenreich is playing Han Solo, and Casting Director Jeanne McCarthy has been searching for an actor to play young Lando Calrissian, with Community and The Martian star Donald Glover currently the top choice. And rumblings of a young non-white female lead role who could be Han's romantic interest in this adventure. Today director Chris Miller reveals that  Bradford Young has signed on to be the cinematographer for the film:

You might not recognize Young's name, but you've no doubt seen his work. He got his start with indies like Ava DuVernay's Middle of Nowhere before tackling the 2013 Western Ain't Them Bodies Saints which premiered at Sundance. In 2014, he shot DuVernay's Martin Luther King film Selma and J.C. Chandor's A Most Violent Year. Young most recently short Denis Villeneuve's Sicario-followup Arrival. He also worked on Andrew Dosunmu's Beat-Up Little Seagull which hits theaters next year.

Young won the cinematography award two times at the Sundance Film Festival, once for Ain't Them Body Saints and Mother of George in 2013 "for its expressive use of naturalistic lighting to evoke the state of mind of the characters and the sense of time and place in two very different films." The other for Pariah in 2011. He was also nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for his work on Selma.

Young was hired for that production when Villeneuve was unable to get Roger Deakins who was busy with the Coen Brothers' Hail Caesar! Being the second choice is usually not an endorsement but in this case, he was the filmmaker's second choice to one of the greatest living cinematographers.  While it's still early in Young's career, it's easy to see that he is an artist choice which will bring value to Disney's second Star Wars standalone film.

Here is an interview with Bradford Young and a look at some of his previous work:

The screenplay for the Han Solo movie is written by Lawrence Kasdan (Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, The Force Awakens, Raiders of the Lost Ark) and his son Jon Kasdan (director of Sundance Film Festival film The First Time which I liked, also the brother of director Jake Kasdan). According to Disney, the story "focuses on how young Han Solo became the smuggler, thief, and scoundrel whom Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi first encountered in the cantina at Mos Eisley."

Han Solo: A Star Wars Story (not the official title, yet) will begin production in January or February 2017. The film is slated for release on May 25th, 2018.

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