We're coming up on a very exciting time for the Star Wars franchise. While the fandom is still recovering from the wild ride Rian Johnson took us on in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the franchise's next standalone movie is just weeks away. Solo: A Star Wars Story will help expand the galaxy far, far away, showing younger version of franchise heroes like Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Lando Calrissian. While most fans assumed this would be the only movie focused on the younger hero, actor Alden Ehrenreich recently teased that he has signed on for multiple films. Does that mean Solo 2 is a possibility? Director Ron Howard thinks it could be possible, under one condition.
I think the fans are going to define all of that. I mean I think that Lucasfilm and Disney in casting actors, and particularly younger actors, want to see what happens and build upon that. Certainly, they want the commitment from the young actors, but there are no concrete plans. I think there's been a lot of creative energy and now marketing energy going behind this movie.
Well, that seems pretty definitive. While a second Solo movie is something that could happen, it all depends on how successful the first one is. If the fandom doesn't respond well to the young iterations of the characters, then Lucasfilm likely won't bring the cast back for a sequel. We'll just have to wait and see how the fandom takes it all.
Ron Howard's comments to Fandango help to clarify Alden Ehrenreich's earlier comments. While the Hail, Caesar! actor may have signed a multi-film contract, Lucasfilm and Disney can easily let him off the hook if his performance as the fan favorite hero isn't well received. The pressure is certainly on for Ehrenreich to fill Harrison Ford's massive shoes. And given the character's tragic death in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Solo is going to carry extra emotional weight or the fandom.
It should be interesting to see how Star Wars fans respond to Solo: A Star Wars Story. Because the property has been passed down from generation to generation, there are high stakes and expectations for each new movie. While some fans criticized The Force Awakens for being too formulaic and A New Hope-ish, Rian Johson was met with backlash for taking too many risks in The Last Jedi.
Solo: A Star Wars Story has also had some missteps along the way. Directors Chris Miller and Phil Lord were fired by Lucasfilm halfway through filming, with Ron Howard stepping into complete the project. There have also been rumors around Alden Ehrenreich's performance as the title character, although we'll have to wait and see how it all turns out.
Solo: A Star Wars Story will arrive in theaters on May 25, 2018. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
