The latest “Star Wars” spin-off will focus on the character of Han Solo and is a prequel to “Star Wars: A New Hope.” The movie will outline the adventures of Han Solo and Chewbacca back in their youth. Filming will start next week in various locations on the Spanish Canary Island of Fuerteventura and will continue right into June.

Fuerteventura as Solo’s desert world home Corellia?

While most details of the Disney and Lucasfilm collaboration have been kept strictly under wraps, rumors have been going around about the filming locations for the latest “Star Wars” spin-off.

Fuerteventura, with its arid, volcanic terrain, is a great location to represent Solo’s desert home world of Corellia. Movieworld heard rumors that Spain was the chosen location, but now The Local has confirmed that fact.

Cameras banned in the natural park during filming of ‘Star Wars’ spin-off

Filming will begin next week in the south of the island of Fuerteventura in Cañada de la Barca and reportedly a base camp has already been set up for the 250-odd actors and crew involved in the film. The area chosen for the set is a natural park on the Jandía peninsula, which is normally popular with visitors.

However, while filming is ongoing, there will be a ban on smartphones and cameras anywhere near the set to avoid spoilers and protect the secrecy surrounding the film’s plot. Spanish local media has reported the presence of earth-moving equipment, and several all-terrain vehicles have been spotted in the area.

While secrecy is paramount, some aerial photos have already emerged of a "Star Wars" set, located in the sand dunes of the area.

Since the images emerged, the filming area has now become a no-fly zone to prevent any further leaks.

With unemployment still at a reasonably high level in Spain, locals on the island were thrilled to get the chance to work on the "Star Wars" project, with 160 residents working on the film, along with around 200 extras, which seems to point to crowd scenes of some kind.

It hasn’t been officially confirmed that Fuerteventura will be representing Han Solo’s home world of Corellia, so fans may have to wait until the scheduled release date in May 2018 to find out which fictional desert planet it does represent. According to The Local, the cast and crew’s next stop will be somewhere in Italy.

Spain has been featured in 'Star Wars' before

This isn’t the first Spanish location to be used in a “Star Wars” film. In the prequel, “Attack of the Clones,” the iconic Plaza de España in Seville was effectively used as the city of Theed on the planet Naboo.

Movie World did mention that the U.K.

is also a possible filming location for the new spin-off, reporting that locals have confirmed the presence of new docks and ports around the Fawley Power Station. According to their report, the power station itself looks like it came from a 1970s sci-fi film. Their reporter theorizes that it might add a little “steampunk” to the new “Star Wars” film.

Cast of ‘Star Wars’ Han Solo spin-off

While things are still pretty much under wraps relating to the film, the cast has been announced, with Alden Ehrenreich playing Han Solo and Woody Harrelson as Solo’s mentor.

Chewbacca will be played by Joonas Suotamo and Donald Glover will play the role of Lando Calrissian. Other stars include Thandi Newton of “Westworld” fame, “Game of Thrones” star Emilia Clarke, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge of the British comedy “Fleabag.” The directors are Christopher Miller and Phil Lord.
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