A New Hope: The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy

A New Hope: The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy is an upcoming novel by Alexandra Bracken, with illustrations by Iain McCaig that will be released on September 22, 2015. It is a retelling of the classic Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope story in a new illustrated novel form, with a specific focus on the characters of Leia Organa, Han Solo and Luke Skywalker, respectively the "princess," the "scoundrel" and the "farm boy."

The title will also be released in audio form on compact disc and digital download and as an eBook. The audio version will be read by Marc Thompson and Rebecca Soler.

Publisher's summary
"The galaxy is at war.

''Although the Rebel Alliance has won a few battles against the Empire, hope is fading. The Empire is about to finish building the greatest weapon the galaxy has ever seen—the Death Star. The rebels’ only chance to defeat it now lies in the unlikely hands of a princess, a scoundrel, and a farm boy. . . . ''

''Acclaimed, New York Times bestselling author Alexandra Bracken delivers a captivating retelling of Star Wars: A New Hope like you’ve never experienced before. Since the premier of the original film, Princess Leia, Han Solo, and Luke Skywalker have become iconic, larger-than-life characters. The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy takes a deeper look at these three heroes as they join forces to defeat the evil that threatens their entire galaxy.''"

Development
Author R.J. Palacio was slated to write the book, but due to scheduling conflicts, she was replaced by the book's current author, Alexandra Bracken.

The title was marketed for several months with the subtitle "Being the Story of Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, and the Rise of the Rebellion," but this subtitle was dropped in listings not long after the announcement of the change in author to Alexandra Bracken. The title was eventually relisted as A New Hope: The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy, a reference to the central characters Leia Organa, Han Solo and Luke Skywalker. The title was later pushed from its original publication date of June 23, 2015 to September 22, 2015.

On May 4, 2015, Disney provided a preview of this and the other two titles in the series, available here.

On June 5, 2015, Disney revealed the cover artwork for the titles in the series.