When Solo: A Star Wars Story hit the big screen in May 2018, the film was treated to a disastrous box office response. The second Star Wars spinoff was riddled with production issues, having seen the firing of original directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller halfway through principle photography, and the budget was nearly doubled when Ron Howard completed filming.
Solo proved to be a costly expenditure for Lucasfilm and Disney, as the meager box office returns led to the first Star Wars flop. It's been rumored that Solo was the jumping point for a potential trilogy of stories revolving around Alden Ehrenreich's Han Solo, and the ending of the film didn't hide the possibility for a continuation. The film's flop has put that chance in jeopardy, and the new star playing the scruffy-looking nerf herder has given an update on where things stand with a possible sequel...
NEWS
In an interview with Esquire, actor Alden Ehrenreich said he knows nothing of a potential sequel to Solo: A Star Wars Story being in development:
"No, I don't know anything about that. I mean, you know, I think our movie was kind of the last of the conventional-era Star Wars movie release time."
However, the actor did mention that he had heard rumblings about future projects in the Star Wars universe:
"I've heard soooome stuff, but nothing concrete."
When asked if he was interested in returning to the Star Wars universe, Ehrenreich had a Harrison Ford-ian response:
“It depends on what it is. It depends on how it's done. It depends if it feels innate to the story.”
WHAT THIS MEANS
The prospects seem bleak, but there's always the chance that we'll one day get a follow-up to Solo. For years, nobody thought the return of The Clone Wars would be possible, yet we've now seen the series through to conclusion - and with a sequel of it's own on the way in The Bad Batch.
There are several explanations as to why Solo suffered an atrocious turnout in the theaters. The biggest factor at play was the poor marketing, with the first trailer not debuting until three months before the film's release. Hot off the heels of The Last Jedi, there were many fans who felt alienated by the controversial installment in the Skywalker saga and elected to skip the next film. There were others who just weren't interested in a Han Solo not played by Harrison Ford, despite Ehrenreich's excellent performance.
Despite the abysmal box office performance, Solo was actually pretty well-received by the fans. A fan campaign called "Make Solo 2 Happen" was kick-started and has amassed a respectable following, including the support of the new Chewbacca actor, Joonas Suotamo.
The desire for a Solo remains strong, and fans can only hope that Lucasfilm is listening. Disney+ could be the perfect platform to craft a continuation into a TV series, something that may offer great ratings. Things don't look good now, but Star Wars fans have come out on top before. As always, hope will lead the way.
