It's been four years since Solo: A Star Wars Story was released in theaters, and it leaves behind a complicated legacy. The film is the first Star Wars project to bomb at the box office, leading Lucasfilm and Disney to assign blame to things like oversaturation and the recasting of iconic characters. Despite the movie's poor performance, Solo has actually been well received by Star Wars fans, inspiring many to campaign for a sequel.
There's no doubt that Solo was intended to be the first part of a larger story for Han and his friends. Director Ron Howard has shared his willingness to return for more, though that decision ultimately sits in the hands of Disney. One project in the background does seem to have the potential to pick up threads from the film, as the Disney+ series Lando will see Donald Glover return to the titular role for more adventures when his schedule allows.
The most interesting new character Solo gifted fans was Emilia Clarke's Qi'ra, the femme fatale who ultimately chose to stay with the Crimson Dawn crime syndicate and learn from Maul. Qi'ra made a shocking return to Star Wars in the War of the Bounty Hunters comic miniseries, and her story continues in Crimson Reign as she seeks to destroy the Sith. But what of her future on the screen? The man who helped create her hopes to see the character join The Mandalorian's narrative.
Jon Kasdan Hopes Qi'ra Joins MandoVerse
In an interview with Screen Rant at Star Wars Celebration, writer Jon Kasdan spoke confidently about the chances of seeing Solo's story continue, specifically Emilia Clarke's Qi'ra:
"I think we are. I think some day we're gonna see what happened, and how Qi'ra sort of advanced through the world, through the crime syndicates."
Kasdan noted that he's discussed continuing Qi'ra's story with The Mandalorian writer Jon Favreau, a fan of the film himself:
"I've talked to Jon Favreau about it, and he's a big fan of [Solo] and some of the stuff we built out. And I said, 'Well, you're the guy to figure it out.' I always look to him to keep the story alive and keep it going."
With the vastness of current Star Wars storytelling, Kasdan sees room for other Solo characters to make their mark on upcoming adventures:
"Star Wars is going in so many fun directions. And specifically, I saw that trailer for Andor today, and I thought, 'Well, Enfys Nest is gonna show up somewhere in that show.' So I'm hopeful that a lot of those people continue the journos they were on."
Will Qi'ra Make A Disney+ Comeback?
Lucasfilm clearly has a plan for Qi'ra, as she's a pivotal player in the aforementioned Marvel comic lines set after The Empire Strikes Back. Writer Charles Soule's trilogy of miniseries is scheduled to end later in the year with The Hidden Empire, which should give fans a better idea of Qi'ra's future... if she can survive the wrath of Darth Vader and the Emperor.
In the lead-up to The Book of Boba Fett, the prevailing theory was that Qi'ra and Crimson Dawn would be revealed as the main antagonists for the titular crime lord. That ultimately proved untrue, as Boba instead went up against the Pyke Syndicate and Cad Bane to establish freedom for the city of Mos Espa. Fett's challenges in the present day never took him off of Tatooine, though the end of the season hinted at his desire to pursue something else.
Boba Fett was initially billed as a limited series, but the popularity of the character and phenomenal viewership numbers will certainly have Disney and Lucasfilm considering more journeys for the character. Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni seem keen on maintaining Fett as one of the key players in the MandoVerse, so he can be expected to appear again sooner than later - perhaps as early as The Mandalorian Season 3 in February.
It's worth noting that Favreau isn't just a fan of Solo, but also played a part in it. The writer and actor lent his voice for the role of Rio Durant, who unfortunately met his fate fairly early on in the film. Any discussions with Jon Kasdan about continuing the story of Qi'ra and other Solo characters can only be a good thing, and the executive producer's pre-existing connection to that story bodes well for the inclusion of Crimson Dawn and the group's mysterious leader as the MandoVerse expands.
