Solo: A Star Wars Story is a film that's been put through the ringer over the past year; viewers may have a difficult time sifting through all of the reports and figuring out what's accurate and what's a misconception. Lucasfilm's second Star Wars spinoff was officially announced back in July 2015, being led by LEGO Movie duo Phil Lord and Chris Miller. The pair stayed onboard all through the pre-production process (putting together an impressive ensemble) and began production in early 2017. As many know by now, they were ultimately fired in June 2017 due to creative differences with studio president Kathleen Kennedy and Solo writer Lawrence Kasdan. With three weeks of principal photography left, Oscar-winner Ron Howard came in to get the ship back on course.
Under Howard's leadership, Solo finally got across the finish line, with production having wrapped and the director deep into post as he edits the picture. There's been growing concern over the lack of promotional materials, with some suggesting this means the film is in trouble. However, Solo might be in better shape than some headlines lead you to believe. Here, we analyze all of the biggest topics regarding Solo and try to uncover the "truth."
Marketing Delay & Release Date (This Page)
-
The Great Marketing 'Delay'
The absence of the Solo trailer has gone on for so long, it's been turned into a running joke by the Internet. Even though the film is scheduled for a May 2018 premiere, Lucasfilm hasn't released so much as an official still image of the cast in-character. More red flags are raised every day that goes by without a preview, especially since two July tentpoles (Ant-Man and the Wasp and Mission: Impossible - Fallout) will have trailers before we get our first look at Solo. At times, it feels like Disney/Lucasfilm is intentionally hiding the movie from the general public, so what gives? Even if Solo was finished smoothly with Lord and Miller, marketing was always going to be a weird proposition. Lucasfilm never actively promotes two films at once, instead choosing to focus on the next one on the docket.
Related: When Will the Solo Trailer Drop?
Anything Solo related released during the build-up to The Last Jedi would have been overshadowed by Episode VIII hype, so Lucasfilm was smart to wait. Them holding Solo content back is a deliberate strategy so they can optimize the effect it has on people, giving the standalone the spotlight to itself with Last Jedi further in the rearview mirror. While many expected the trailer to debut at some point in January, that month was too close to Star Wars 8's premiere and didn't have an obvious platform for a major launch. As atypical as this handling has been, February makes more sense from a logistics standpoint. The coming weeks see the 2018 Winter Olympics and Black Panther hit theaters, guaranteeing Lucasfilm a huge audience for their trailer. If there's no Solo advertising by then, then it'll be time to hit the panic button.
Also - times have changed. With social media, trailers and pictures circulate like wildfire, raising awareness to high levels. There's no need for a glacially-paced, year-long marketing campaign (even though that's what Star Wars fans are accustomed to).
The Release Date Won't Change
Star Wars first made a name for itself in May, but as a Disney subsidiary, Lucasfilm has discovered a gold mine in December. The last three years saw the studio dominate the holiday moviegoing season with three straight $1 billion blockbusters, giving them an ironclad blueprint for success. Not only was the arrival of a new Star Wars movie enough to send viewers into a frenzy, Force Awakens, Rogue One, and Last Jedi all faced minimal competition for ticket sales (Jumanji notwithstanding) and soared to the top of the yearly domestic charts thanks to word-of-mouth and repeat business. But for Solo, the galaxy far, far away is returning to its traditional stomping grounds where the waters are a lot tougher. With all the problems, wouldn't they push it back?
Though a case can be made Solo would have benefitted from a December bow, this would have been announced by now if it was going to happen. Additionally, December 2018 is now as crowded as any summer month with Bumblebee, Aquaman, and Disney's own Mary Poppins Returns. Plus, concerns about Solo's competition may be overblown. Avengers: Infinity War will have already done a majority of its damage by the time Solo comes out, and Deadpool 2 recently shifted to one week before the spinoff (instead of after) - perhaps as a means of avoiding a possible leggy second weekend for Solo. Lucasfilm now has a couple weeks to themselves before Ocean's Eight debuts, so they should be able to do strong business in May.
It's All About The Script
Of all the new Star Wars films Lucasfilm has announced since being acquired by Disney, Solo is the one that generated the least-enthusiastic response. Even when Lord and Miller (kings of turning bad ideas into gold) were in charge, many questioned the necessity for this film. On-paper, it definitely seems strange. It's a prequel detailing the mysterious backstory of a beloved original trilogy character (sound familiar?) that was forced to recast Han Solo due to the timing of the project. Harrison Ford is synonymous with the character, perfectly embodying the smuggler over four films. That sounds like a recipe for disaster, but Solo has an ace in the hole with its script.
The screenplay was written by Kasdan (pictured above) and his son Jon. The elder Kasdan is responsible for penning three of the better entries in the franchise: Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and Force Awakens. He also wrote Raiders of the Lost Ark, so he knows how to craft an entertaining tentpole that connects on an emotional level. Additionally, Kasdan is typically smart about the way he tackles his material. Empire set a new bar for Star Wars with an unexpected sequel that challenged its characters and broadened the universe in exciting ways. In Force Awakens, we meet Han as a struggling swindler in debt who failed at marriage and being a father. It could have been easy to deify the Rebellion General, but Kasdan found a much more interesting portrayal. Odds are, there will be some curveballs in Solo to make it more fascinating than some might have thought. Several members of the Lucasfilm family have praised Kasdan's latest.
Disney's Confidence
Shortly after The Last Jedi opened and became the most polarizing tentpole this side of Batman V Superman, a report emerged suggesting Disney was preparing for Solo to bomb, the script was unworkable, and star Alden Ehrenreich can't act. More on Ehrenreich in a moment, but let's first address the notion Disney is worried Solo is going to flop. That unsubstantiated claim came from a single anonymous source stating they were "close to the film's production," which raises questions about its validity. It so far is the only bit of news explicitly forecasting doom and gloom for Solo (other op-eds have emerged raising doubts, but stop short of projecting failure). It's also in direct contradiction to more official comments on the matter.
Related: How Much of Han Solo Did Ron Howard Reshoot?
Other insiders have heard studio heads are happy with the way Howard's first cut turned out. This shouldn't come as any surprise, seeing that Lucasfilm gave their new director more to do when they became impressed with his approach. He essentially oversaw a second round of principal photography, reshooting nearly the entire movie for double the budget. If the higher-ups were concerned Solo was going to underwhelm financially, there's no way they would have intentionally gone through these headaches to get the spinoff made. They're obviously excited about its potential and believe it will be a box office hit, ultimately turning a profit. Solo may be the lowest-earning Star Wars movie of the Disney era, but it should still be commercially viable. Reaction to footage promises an old school adventure flick in the classic Star Wars mold, which is just what the doctor ordered.
What Happened With Lord and Miller
Lucasfilm's infamous director problems reached a new level of bizarre with the Lord and Miller fiasco, as the creative differences that plagued the production apparently didn't reach a tipping point until four months into filming. The situation is something unprecedented in modern Hollywood, causing some to wonder what went down on-set. Lord and Miller seemed like the perfect pair to tackle one of the Star Wars anthology films, which were sold to audiences as projects that could break from the mold of the classic episodes by experimenting with different styles and tones. Dismissing them to bring in an old veteran like Howard made it seem like Lucasfilm was shifting their mentality to maintain that Star Wars-y feel. Of course, The Last Jedi is living proof Kennedy is willing to take risks, and the Solo debacle is a lot more complicated than old vs. new school.
There's no denying Lord and Miller are gifted filmmakers and their track record speaks for itself. However, the kinds of movies they were directing before Solo (meta action comedies, animated family films) aren't the types that one would normally associate with future Star Wars directors. A case can be made they were a little in over their heads with the big scope, as they frequently got less coverage than what Kennedy was expecting on a daily basis and had difficulties sticking to the script. Lord and Miller are known for their improvisational style, and they were encouraging improv while filming, which reportedly started to alter the story Kasdan came up with. Since the two remained on Solo until June, Kennedy obviously did all she could to stick with them, but ultimately decided to pursue a different direction. Howard, an experienced helmsman with a long filmography spanning multiple genres, was deemed the better fit.
Alden Ehrenreich's Performance
Around the time Lord and Miller were let go, Solo garnered more unwanted attention when it was reported Lucasfilm had hired an acting coach for new Han Solo, Alden Ehrenreich. The studio apparently was "not entirely satisfied" with the youngster's performance and dedicated some resources to help him improve. More so than any other new Star Wars lead, Ehrenreich is going to be under the microscope, as he'll inevitably be compared to Ford. It's beyond pertinent to make sure his turn is on point, or else the entire film could be derailed. Lucasfilm could be using Solo as a springboard for another trilogy, only adding importance to Ehrenreich's portrayal. But acting coaches are fairly standard on films, and concern about Ehrenreich may be exaggerated.
Related: The DGA Rule That Explains Lord and Miller's Firing
Ehrenreich survived a grueling audition process that saw no fewer than 2,500 thespians try out for the part. That alone speaks to his talent, never mind his previous performances in films like Hail, Caesar!. Everyone involved with Solo knew they had to find the best actor for the job, and they all agreed Ehrenreich was it. One of the strongest attributes of the new Star Wars movies is casting, so they've earned our trust on that front. The acting coach could be attributed more to Lord and Miller's direction than Ehrenreich himself. Rumors suggested Lord and Miller's Solo leaned closer to Ace Ventura than Han, which definitely would have rubbed fans the wrong way. The coach could also simply be helping Ehrenreich perfect Ford-esque mannerisms and dialect so Solo is in line with the original trilogy. Though Ehrenreich will be able to make the part his own, he still has to find a blend of the previous movies, which is tough for anyone. This isn't to say he's incapable of giving a bad performance, but there are other things to consider before people jump to that point.
-
Solo is in a fascinating position right now and soon we'll find out which side of film history it will fall on. Several movies (including multiple Star Wars entries) went through hell to get to the big screen and ultimately turned out fine. Of course, the aura of Justice League still lingers, illustrating what can happen when troubled productions go wrong. Howard admittedly has a rather erratic résumé, but when he's working with a solid script, he can crank out one of the best movies of the year. He's also one of the best directors Lucasfilm could have gotten on short notice. Howard isn't a filmmaker-for-hire that's a studio yes man. He's a respected industry figure with Oscars on his mantle and several quality productions to his name. With any luck, he was able to save Solo and continue the Star Wars renaissance on a high note.
MORE: A Theory On When We'll See the Solo Trailer
