Solo: A Star Wars Story
Solo: A Star Wars Story is a 2018 American space Western film[15][16] centering on the Star Wars character Han Solo. Directed by Ron Howard, produced by Lucasfilm, and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the second Star Wars anthology film, following Rogue One (2016). Alden Ehrenreich stars as Solo, with Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover, Thandiwe Newton, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Joonas Suotamo, and Paul Bettany. The film tells the origin story of Han Solo and Chewbacca, who join a heist within the criminal underworld ten years prior to the events of A New Hope.
Solo: A Star Wars Story
- Kathleen Kennedy
- Allison Shearmur
- Simon Emanuel
- May 10, 2018 (Los Angeles)
- May 25, 2018 (United States)
135 minutes[9]
United States
English
$393.2 million[14]
George Lucas began developing a Han Solo prequel in 2012 and commissioned Lawrence Kasdan to write the screenplay. After Lucas sold Lucasfilm to The Walt Disney Company in 2012, Kasdan was hired to write The Force Awakens (2015), leaving his son Jonathan to complete the Solo script. Principal photography began in January 2017 at Pinewood Studios, with directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Both were fired in June 2017 following creative differences with Lucasfilm, and Howard was hired as their replacement. Solo is one of the most expensive films ever made, with a budget of at least $275 million.
Solo was released in North America on May 25, 2018. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, which praised the cast (particularly Ehrenreich and Glover), visuals, score, and action sequences, while some criticized the storyline and screenplay.[17] It became the first Star Wars film to be a box office bomb, only grossing $393.2 million worldwide.[18][19][20] It received a nomination for Best Visual Effects at the 91st Academy Awards.
Plot[edit]
On the planet Corellia, orphans Han and Qi'ra escape a local gang. They bribe an Imperial officer with stolen coaxium, a starship fuel, for passage on a transport, but Qi'ra is captured before she can board. Han vows to return for her and joins the Imperial Navy as a flight cadet, being given the surname "Solo".
Three years later, Han is serving as an infantryman on Mimban following his expulsion from the Imperial Flight Academy for insubordination. He encounters a trio of criminals posing as Imperial soldiers, led by Tobias Beckett. Han attempts to blackmail Beckett into letting him join the gang, but Beckett has him arrested and thrown into a pit to be fed to a Wookiee prisoner named Chewbacca. Able to understand Chewbacca's language, Han persuades him to cooperate to escape. Beckett, aware of the usefulness of a Wookiee's strength, rescues and enlists them in the gang to steal a shipment of coaxium on Vandor-1. The plan fails when the Cloud Riders, a band of space pirates led by Enfys Nest, arrive to hijack the shipment. The resulting chaos leads to the destruction of the coaxium and the deaths of Beckett's partner Val and their crewman Rio.
Beckett reveals that he was ordered to steal the shipment for Dryden Vos, a high-ranking crime boss in the Crimson Dawn syndicate. Han and Chewbacca volunteer to help him steal another shipment to repay the debt so that Vos will not kill him. They travel to Vos's yacht, where Han finds Qi'ra, who has joined Crimson Dawn as Vos's top lieutenant. Han suggests a risky plan to steal unrefined coaxium from the mines on Kessel. Vos approves but insists that Qi'ra accompany the team. She leads them to Lando Calrissian, a smuggler and pilot, who she hopes will lend them his ship, the Millennium Falcon. Han challenges Lando to a game of cards, with the wager being Lando's ship. Lando cheats to win but agrees to join the mission in exchange for a share of the profits.
After reaching Kessel in the Falcon and infiltrating the mine, Lando's droid co-pilot L3-37 instigates a slave revolt. They steal the coaxium, but L3 is fatally damaged in the confusion and Lando is wounded during the escape. With the help of L3's navigational data, uploaded into the ship's systems, Han pilots the ship through the dangerous and uncharted Kessel Run to elude an Imperial blockade. The Falcon, badly damaged, lands on the planet Savareen to process the coaxium.
Enfys arrives, having tracked the team from Vandor, and Lando leaves in the Falcon, deserting everyone else. Enfys reveals that she and her crew are rebels trying to strike back at the syndicates and the Empire. Han becomes sympathetic to their cause and tries to trick Vos, who reveals Beckett has already alerted him to the double-cross. Vos sends his guards to kill Enfys, but the Cloud Riders overpower them, leaving Vos defenseless. Having anticipated Vos's strategy, Han tries to take the coaxium, but Beckett betrays Vos and escapes with it, taking Chewbacca hostage. Qi'ra kills Vos and sends Han after Beckett. She contacts Vos's superior, Maul, to inform him of the mission's failure, which she blames on Beckett. Maul orders Qi'ra to meet with him on Dathomir.
Han confronts Beckett and shoots him dead before he can return fire. Qi'ra leaves in Vos's yacht, while Han and Chewbacca give the coaxium to Enfys, who offers Han a chance to join the rebellion against the Empire. He declines, and she gives him a vial of coaxium, enough to purchase a ship of his own.
Han and Chewbacca locate Lando and challenge him to a rematch, once again wagering the Falcon. This time Han wins after having stolen the hidden card that Lando used to cheat his way to victory the first time. Han and Chewbacca then leave for Tatooine to find the crime lord mentioned by Beckett who is putting together a big, profitable job.
Erin Kellyman appears as Enfys Nest, the leader of a gang of space pirates called Cloud Riders.[41] Jon Favreau voices Rio Durant, a pilot on Beckett's crew,[42][43] and Linda Hunt voices Lady Proxima, the serpent-like leader of the gang to which teenage Han and Qi'ra belong. Ian Kenny portrays Rebolt[44] while Clint Howard portrays Ralakili.[45] Additionally, Anthony Daniels cameos as Tak.[46] Kiran Shah plays Karjj and Warwick Davis briefly reprises his role from The Phantom Menace as Weazel, a Cloud Rider.[47] Ray Park reprises his role as Maul,[48] with Sam Witwer providing the voice, reprising the role from The Clone Wars and Rebels animated TV series.[49] Peter Serafinowicz, Maul's original voice actor in The Phantom Menace, was initially brought in and recorded Maul's dialogue, but his vocal performance was ultimately dropped in favor of Witwer's with the explanation that it was "better for the continuity".[50] Dee Tails[51] appears as Quay Tolsite, the director of the Pyke Syndicate's operations on Kessel.[52]
Screenwriter Jonathan Kasdan and first assistant director Toby Hefferman portrayed Tag Greenley and Bink Otauna, respectively—two characters that first appeared in the Star Wars Legends comics published by Dark Horse Comics. The scene was not included in the finished film.[53][54]
Marketing[edit]
A "sneak peek" TV spot was released during Super Bowl LII on February 4, 2018.[126] It became the most popular Super Bowl trailer on YouTube with 8 million views. It also had 5.9 million views on Facebook.[127]
The first official teaser trailer was released on February 5, 2018. Graeme McMillan of The Hollywood Reporter criticized the trailer as "dull", and compared it negatively to the look of Rogue One, opining that the visuals "should be the hive of scum and villainy of the Cantina of the very first movie, filled with colorful aliens and things happening all over the place. That busyness, the sense of danger and hustle, feels appropriate for Solo in a way that what's on show in this first trailer simply doesn't." He also noted that several plot elements presented in the trailer were reminiscent of The Han Solo Trilogy, a series of novels published in 1997 and 1998.[128]
In early March 2018, French artist Hachim Bahous asserted that Disney had plagiarized a series of album covers he designed for Sony Music's label Legacy Recordings in France with character posters for the film. Disney stated they were investigating the alleged plagiarism and that the Solo posters had been produced by an outside vendor.[129]
Reception[edit]
Box office[edit]
Solo: A Star Wars Story grossed $213.8 million in the United States and Canada, and $179.4 million in other territories, for a total worldwide gross of $393.2 million.[14] With an estimated production budget of $275 million,[13] it was reported that the film needed to gross at least $500 million worldwide to break even.[133][134]
A week after its worldwide debut of just $147.5 million, Variety wrote that the film would lose Disney "tens of millions of dollars" off a projected final total gross of $400–450 million[135] while The Hollywood Reporter estimated the losses would range from $50 to $80 million.[20] In April 2019, Deadline Hollywood calculated the film lost the studio $76.9 million, when factoring together all expenses and revenues.[136] In June 2018, in response to the film's commercial performance, director Ron Howard tweeted he was proud of the film, and sorry that fans were not turning out to see it in larger numbers, but was happy for those who had enjoyed it.[137] The following year, Howard stated that online trolls were partially to blame for the film's underwhelming box-office performance.[138]
Adaptations[edit]
A novelization by Mur Lafferty, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition (ISBN 978-0525619390) was published on September 4, 2018, by Del Rey Books. It includes scenes from alternate versions of the film's script,[176] including scenes in which Qi’ra is brought back to Lady Proxima,[177] Chewbacca uses some of Lando's "outrageously expensive" bathroom products,[178] and in an epilogue, Enfys Nest delivers the coaxium to Saw Gerrera and Jyn Erso.[177]
Additionally, a seven-issue comic book adaptation of the film was published by Marvel Comics starting in October 2018, written by Robbie Thompson and pencilled by Will Sliney.[179][180]