Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Solo

  • ‘Solo’ Sequel Not in the Works at Lucasfilm

    ‘Solo’ Sequel Not in the Works at Lucasfilm

    As Lucasfilm pushes the Star Wars franchise forward through a plethora of streaming shows on Disney+, more time moves away from the short-lived saga of spin-off films. One of the films from this era, the divisive Solo: A Star Wars Story, has been gaining popularity over time. As such, fans of Star Wars have been somewhat curious about if there is any future for this corner of the universe. Though in a recent interview with director Ron Howard, it has seemingly been confirmed that there are no plans for the film series to move forward.

    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.

    Ron Howard

    This bit of news shouldn’t come as any surprise. Solo is considered to be the only financial “bomb” within the Star Wars film franchise and critically was not well received either. In addition, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy has gone out of her way to talk about how this era of Star Wars was fundamentally flawed. Audiences shouldn’t expect to see Alden Ehrenreich as Han Solo any time soon. Though the potential for Donald Glover to return as Lando Calrissian shouldn’t be completely ignored, though that’s a different story within itself.

    Sources: NME

  • ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ Writer Still Hopes for a Sequel

    ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ Writer Still Hopes for a Sequel

    Star Wars has grown quite a bit since its purchase by Disney. They started off with a new trilogy that further explored the aftermath of the original, tested out some unique spinoffs, and went on to establish a variety of TV series on Diseny+. At the moment, Andor has been dominating the Internet with a prequel series to Rogue One, but it’s not the only prequel entry with the protagonist’s name in the title.

    Back in 2018, we had the first prequel film that featured Alden Ehrenreich in the leading role of a younger Han Solo. Sadly, the film wasn’t quite the box office draw that many hoped it would be, but it still told an interesting story and has a set up that still hasn’t seen a payoff to this day. It seems writer Jon Kasdan agrees, as he’d love to return and tackle a sequel even after all this time.

    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.

    Jon Kasdan

    Any project tackling one of the original trilogy’s main casts was going to face an upward battle. Ehrenreich‘s recasting was an inspired and fitting choice, but the controversy surrounding it led to Lucasfilm preferring to digitally de-age its actors, such as Mark Hamill reprising his role as Luke Skywalker in The Mandalorian. For now, we’ll have to wait if they might decide to tackle a sequel at some point, or at least pick up where the film left off.

    Source: YouTube via ComicBook.com

  • SWCA: ‘The Mandalorian’s Volume Was First Used on 2018’s ‘Solo’

    SWCA: ‘The Mandalorian’s Volume Was First Used on 2018’s ‘Solo’

    The Mandalorian was a landmark project that pushed the technology known as The Volume. Instead of using a green screen, they create digital assets put on actual LED screens surrounding the actors and their performance. Since its first use, the technology has evolved quite a bit and even became a staple for big-budget films like The Batman and the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder. Yet, it turns out that the initial version of the technology has its origin back in 2018, as it was used in Solo: A Star Wars Story.

    Our very own Hunter Radesi has shared some insights from a press conference with Ron Howard during the Star Wars Celebration event. There, the director revealed that the technology that would eventually become one of The Mandalorian‘s hallmarks was briefly used in that film. The only difference was that they didn’T use it for a 360° shot but rather just in the Millenium Falcon’s cockpit.

    It seems that they wanted the actors to experience what it was like going into hyperspace while sitting in the cockpit, which was the first use of the Volume within the Star Wars franchise. It definitely is an interesting surprise and it’s crazy to think just how far the technology has come since those days. It’ll also be interesting to see what the future has in store for it as it continues to evolve and potentially become an essential tool for modern filmmaking.

  • Lucasfilm Decided to No Longer Recast Characters After ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’

    Lucasfilm Decided to No Longer Recast Characters After ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’

    Here’s an odd statement, but it looks like Lucasfilm may have learned the wrong lessons from 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story. The film was generally positively reviewed and people highlighted the casting of Alden Ehrenreich as a highlight of the film. It sadly didn’t perform like other entries in the franchise, but still pulled in a respectable $393M worldwide.

    Yet, it seems that something was missing for Lucasfilm and it is the reason they didn’t recast Mark Hamill‘s Luke Skywalker in The Mandalorian‘s second season finale. In the new Vanity Fair piece, Lucasfilm CEO Kathleen Kennedy had the following to say on what they’ve learned from that film:

    There should be moments along the way when you learn things. Now it does seem so abundantly clear that we can’t do that.

    Kathleen Kennedy

    It seems they believed that Ehrenreich didn’t quite capture the “swagger” that made Harrison Ford‘s take on the character stand out as much as it did throughout the years. Yet, one could argue that there were other factors that had a negative influence on the film’s performance and it’s strange to focus on the recasting.

    While it’s special to see Mark Hamill return to the role of Skywalker, the technology still has its limitations, especially with a smaller budget than film production. It still had many excited when he arrived in The Mandalorian, but there were still some aspects that may feel like it’s part of the uncanny valley. Plus, it also highly restricts what stories they can tell with characters that would otherwise have lived during that era.

    Source: Vanity Fair, Rotten Tomatoes