‘Solo 2’ Not a “Lucasfilm Priority” According to Ron Howard; Discussion Coming Entirely From Fans
Solo director Ron Howard has once again broken silence regarding the major fan push for a sequel, saying it’s currently not “a Lucasfilm priority.”
Despite the strong following Solo: A Star Wars Story has gained since it opened back in May 2018, it’s safe to say the prequel anthology film failed to rake in the bucks, with many spectators opting to check it out months later at home. Much has been talked about what went wrong (maybe it was the lackluster marketing campaign, maybe it fell short due to its proximity to Avengers: Infinity War…), but the reality is that sequels or follow-ups of sorts — theatrical or televised — never materialized.
Solo co-writer Jon Kasdan recently acknowledged the #MakeSolo2Happen movement and briefly discussed some follow-up ideas, but admitted the ball is in Lucasfilm’s court. Now, while speaking to NME, director Ron Howard has added his thoughts to the current conversation around the movement, making it very clear that, as far as he knows, Lucasfilm has no plans to explore further “young Han Solo” adventures. But never say never.
“The only discussion that I’m aware of about a sequel for ‘Solo’ is coming from the fans at this point… I don’t think it’s a Lucasfilm priority, as I understand it… But there’s some great characters launched, and the folks from Lucasfilm love the fans and really do listen so I would never say never — but I’m not aware of any concrete plans right now to extend the story or deal with that particular set of characters.”
This isn’t the first time Howard has discussed the lack of development on that front, nor his disappointment with the film failing to “click” with enough moviegoers. However, he’s admitted in the past that maybe exploring an origin story that not enough fans had asked for wasn’t the right move for Lucasfilm and the Star Wars franchise at the time. We could argue, three years into Disney Plus Star Wars series, that Solo would’ve been a perfect fit for the limited series format, but the development on the film reportedly started shortly after Disney acquired Lucasfilm, far before plans for Disney Plus began to take shape.
There’s been some creative life coming from Solo though: Qi’ra, Han’s first love and ultimate leader of the Crimson Dawn criminal organization, has become a key Star Wars character in the OT era through recent comics, and the Lando Disney Plus series is still on the table despite the noticeable lack of movement around it.
Francisco J. Ruiz is that guy who has watched Jurassic Park a thousand times and loves Star Wars. His hunger for movies is only matched by his love for video games. He graduated in English Studies from the University of Malaga, in Spain. As he keeps writing about what he enjoys (and doesn’t) for websites all over, he’s continuing his studies.
