It’s hard to believe, given the penchant for character crossovers, but Star Wars and Marvel characters have yet to team up on the pages of a comic book in any galaxy, near or far, far away. That will change…in a few months.

But we can tell you about it now. Kevin Smith (Clerks, Yoga Hosers, etc.) will write the five-issue limited series to be titled Star Wars/Marvel: Hope Assembles. It will launch in January 2027, with art by David Marquez (Uncanny X-Men.)

As for the plot, the series will follow Earth-616 Marvel heroes as they watch the events from the Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope storyline unfolding on Earth after a spell shatters reality. The Avengers, Spider-Man, and more will team up with heroes like Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, and Chewbacca, while Doctor Doom will align himself with the villainous Darth Vader and the Galactic Empire.

The special event will coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Star Wars franchise, created by filmmaker George Lucas with the launch of the original movie in 1977.

Smith is understandably very excited about the project. In a statement issued by both the Star Wars and Marvel press team, he said, “Back in the early 80’s, I had a subscription to Marvel’s Star Wars comics,” Smith says. “And as fun as it was to follow the continuing adventures of Luke, Leia, and Han, I always wished that Spider-Man or Doctor Doom could cross over into their cinematic saga. So when the opportunity arose to actually tell that story, nobody had to Force my hand! I’m ecstatic to be writing Hope Assembles for the 50th anniversary of Star Wars! Many thanks to Marvel Comics and Lucasfilm for trusting me to fly the Falcon and the Quinjet!”

While Luke, Leia, Spidey, and Iron Man (et al) have never crossed into each other’s universes before, Marvel has done other cross-platform pairings, such as Batman/Deadpool and Superman/Spider-Man with rival publisher DC Comics.

The press release also included a quote from a Lucasfilm rep. “With Hope Assembles, Kevin Smith has written a true love letter to Star Wars, to Marvel, and to comics in general,” Michael Siglain, creative director at Lucasfilm Publishing, says. “And combined with David Marquez’s incredible art, we’ll see the heroes and villains of Star Wars team up and battle with the heroes and villains of Earth-616. Hope Assembles is exciting, unpredictable, and heartfelt. In short, it’s comics at its best, and we can’t wait for readers to experience both franchises as never before.”

And C.B. Cebulski, outgoing Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief and Consulting Editor on Hope Assembles, added, “It’s an idea we’ve wanted to explore since getting the Star Wars license back over a decade ago, but we knew we’d have to wait with the patience of a Jedi to make it happen. The 50th Anniversary of A New Hope has finally given us the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bring these two universes together, in this incredible story being told by Kevin Smith and David Marquez.”

The issues will be released monthly after the January launch, with the finale coming out in May.