For a long time there was a drought, then a trickle and now the skies are opening up as the marketing for Solo: A Star Wars Story begins to build before the film's May release. To this point we've received a TV spot, a trailer and some character posters, but now we have a cool new poster that features all the major players in the upcoming origin story of the galaxy's most lovable scoundrel.
This is what I would call Solo: A Star Wars Story's "main" poster (of what's been released so far), as it brings together the elements of the individual character posters and a few other pieces to form a cool minimalistic look at the new film. In addition to Han, Lando, Qi'Ra and Chewie, who each received character posters, this ensemble poster also features Woody Harrelson's Tobias Beckett and Phoebe Waller-Bridge's L3-37. Lando has a different look here than in his solo poster, but he is still predictably as cool as the other side of the pillow. Notably absent from the poster that debuted on the Star Wars Twitter account, are Thandie Newton's Val and the still-unseen crime boss Dryden Vos, played by Paul Bettany.
What's immediately striking about this poster is how much it gives off a Western vibe. The color choice is very much in line with that old West feel, and the old, beat-up page look is a nice touch. This Western feel is keeping in line with the trailer, which teased more of a heist film than the traditional Star Wars stories of good versus evil. It seems like the characters are going to rob a stagecoach or a train, and this poster is definitely teasing that this will be the most space Western-y Star Wars film yet, perhaps more Firefly than A New Hope. It is also interesting to note that other than a few TIE fighters, this poster doesn't feature any clear antagonistic elements, or at least anyone who we know for sure will be an antagonist (I'm looking at you, Beckett). Much like the trailer, we are being sold on characters first with story details to come later.
One thing that is interesting about this poster and the others so far is how different they feel from the traditional Star Wars posters. Granted, we still have months to go until Solo: A Star Wars Story's release, and I imagine a few more posters will come out. But it is clear that the early marketing for this film is not evoking the traditional Star Wars aesthetic and is instead teasing something different. Also of note is how prominently this poster is pushing this as Solo over Star Wars. It seems that the marketing really wants to emphasize that this is the Han Solo story even though Harrison Ford is nowhere to be seen. It's not a bad idea to get people associating Alden Ehrenreich with the name Solo early on, but it is an interesting approach in that it also relies on audiences making that connection and accepting it.
There are, no doubt, more posters, trailers and TV spots to come as we jump to hyperspace towards this film's release. Solo: A Star Wars Story blasts into theaters on May 25.
