In April actor Alden Ehrenreich revealed that he has a three-film deal with Lucasfilm, prompting speculation that the studio could be looking to further explore the adventures of the young Han Solo beyond this month’s Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Well, according to director Ron Howard, it isn’t the case that Lucasfilm is planning more Han movies – although ultimately the fan response to Solo will dictate whether we that happens or not.
“I think the fans are going to define all of that,” said Howard in an interview with Fandango. “I mean I think that Lucasfilm and Disney in casting actors, and particularly younger actors, want to see what happens and build upon that. Certainly, they want the commitment from the young actors, but there are no concrete plans. I think there’s been a lot of creative energy and now marketing energy going behind this movie.”
“I think these [Anthology movies] are exactly what they’re meant to be, or what they’re designed to be,” he continued. “They’re single movies exploring the galaxy; but of course, as a company, I think they’re going to be very interested to see how people respond to it and take it from there. This whole thing is kind of a cool, ambitious exploration of what the galaxy and the Star Wars sensibility can continue to mean to fans.”
Despite a troubled production, signs are pointing towards Solo being a hit, with the movie doubling Marvel’s Black Panther in pre-sales and tracking a domestic opening weekend in the region of $170 million.
Of course, it’s possible that Lucasfilm could use Ehrenreich’s Han in other Anthology movies as opposed to a Solo sequel – the character certainly wouldn’t be out of place in the rumoured Boba Fett and Jabba the Hutt spinoff films.
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A new adventure with the most beloved scoundrel in the galaxy. Through a series of daring escapades deep within a dark and dangerous criminal underworld, Han Solo meets his mighty future copilot Chewbacca and encounters the notorious gambler Lando Calrissian, in a journey that will set the course of one of the Star Wars saga’s most unlikely heroes.
Solo: A Star Wars Story features Alden Ehrenreich (Hail, Caesar!) as the famous smuggler, Donald Glover (Atlanta) as Lando Calrissian, Woody Harrelson (War for the Planet of the Apes) as Tobias Beckett, Joonas Suotamo as Chewbacca, Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag) as L3-37, Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones) as Qi’Ra, Thandie Newton (Westworld) as Val, Ian Kenny (Sing Street) as Rebolt, Harley Durst (Wonder Woman) as Moloch, Jon Favreau (Spider-Man: Homecoming) as Rio Durant, Tien Hoang (Now You See Me 2) as Moloch’s henchman, Paul Bettany (Avengers: Infinity War) as Dryden Vos and Warwick Davis (Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi) in an as-yet-unrevealed role.