Name of new spinoff will be 'Solo: a Star Wars Story'

In a video posted on Twitter, Howard says production has been completed and he thanks the cast and crew for their work on the movie, which is due out next year. 

As Howard muses aloud if he can disclose the until now unknown title of the flick, the hairy arms of a Wookiee appear on screen and hand him a large placard, which Howard turns over to face the camera and spill the big news.

The movie tells the story of a young Solo -- played by Alden Ehrenreich -- and his loyal companion Chewbacca. It is set before the first movie in the franchise, "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope" (1977), when Solo joined the Rebel Alliance.

In the original trilogy, Solo was played by Harrison Ford.

"Solo" is the second movie of a saga that unfolds on the sidelines of the adventures of the Skywalker family. The first was "Rogue One", which came out in 2016 and raked in more than $1 billion at the box office.

Howard took over as director of the upcoming film after Phil Lord and Chris Miller were dismissed with just weeks to go before conclusion of the main filming of the movie.

Howard directed "Willow" in 1998 for Lucasfilm, but is better known for movies such as "Splash" (1984), "Apollo 13" (1995) and "A Beautiful Mind" (2001) for which he won the Oscar for best director. It also won the Oscar for best picture.

"Episode VIII - The Last Jedi," the second part of the third trilogy and directed by Rian Johnson, is scheduled for release on December 15.