There are popular movie franchises, and then there’s Star Wars. George Lucas’ galaxy far, far away has entertained for decades, although there have been a few missteps along the way. For many Solo: A Star Wars Story is in that category, especially as it’s the only box office disappointment of the entire franchise. But the standalone film did seem to plant the narrative seeds for a sequel, especially with its ending and inclusion of Maul. Solo writer Jonathan Kasdan recently explained why he still wants the Star Wars flick to get a sequel, and it's for a reason that might surprise the fans.
Solo: A Star Wars Story was written by Jonathan and Lawrence Kasdan, and offered an origin story for the title character made famous by Harrison Ford. While it seemed to be setting up the use of characters like Jabba the Hutt and Maul for a sequel, that project never came to fruition. Some fans are still holding out hope, and Jonathan Kasdan spoke to The Sci-Fi Gazette about why he’s like to see Solo 2 happen, saying:
The reason for a Solo 2 is if there's a great reason, and certainly I'd be game if there was...there were so many great characters we were able to establish, and for me, the strongest argument for a Solo 2 is the movie was Alden's journey to owning that mantle, and by the end of it I thought he really did, and he didn't get the fun of getting to just inhabit it for a movie, so I'd love to see him back.
How sweet is that? Actor Alden Ehrenreich had some very big shoes to fill for Solo: A Star Wars Story, as the title character has always been synonymous with Harrison Ford. And while some fans had a hard time watching this take on everyone’s favorite scruffy looking nerf herder, it seems like Jonathan Kasdan wanted to see more of Ehrenreich’s take on the franchise’s beloved hero. We’ll just have to see if the story is continued sometime down the line, either on the small or silver screens.
Jonathan Kasdan’s comments might surprise some Star Wars fans, who want to see Solo get a sequel for reasons related to its storyline and plot twists. And while he presumably is a fan of those too (he did write the movie, after all), the producer/writer is more invested in seeing Alden Ehrenreich back as the title character. After all, Ehrenreich likely was expecting to appear in a number of Star Wars movies, prior to Solo’s disappointing performance in theaters.
As previously mentioned, Solo: A Star Wars Story has the dishonor of being the galaxy far, far away’s only box office disappointment. While Rogue One performed well, the concept of standalone movies was largely abandoned by Lucasfilm due to Solo. Although with the Skywalker Saga officially wrapped up after the release of The Rise of Skywalker, perhaps the studio could change its mind and return to these types of projects. And that includes a long–awaited sequel for Ron Howard’s 2018 space western.
Solo: A Star Wars Story’s theatrical journey is one full of peaks and valleys. For instance, original directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller were removed from the project (and the set) in the midst of production. Ron Howard was brought in to complete the ill-fated movie, which didn’t end up kickstarting a franchise as folks imagined. But with the franchise’s future in the movies so up in the air, it does feel like just about anything could happen. It’s currently unclear when Star Wars will return to the big screen, as a number of projects have been announced and scrapped.
While it’s unclear when Star Wars will be back in theaters, the franchise continues expanding thanks to shows on Disney+ like Andor. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your trips to the movies in the New Year. Just don’t expect a title related to George Lucas’ beloved franchise.
