Solo: A Star Wars Story screenwriter Jonathan Kasdan has opened up about one thing from the 2018 film he would love to go back and retcon with a sequel. Directed by Ron Howard, based on a script by Jonathan and his father, Empire Strikes Back scribe Lawrence Kasdan, Solo: A Star Wars Story charted the early adventures of Han Solo prior to the events of A New Hope. Originally slated to be directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the pair were sensationally fired from their roles in June 2017 over creative differences with Lucasfilm. Howard was later brought on board to reshoot much of the film and helm what would become a major course correction for the troubled production.
Despite opening to mostly favorable reviews, Solo: A Star Wars Story ultimately bombed at the box office and shortly thereafter Lucasfilm shelved all plans for future Star Wars spinoff films. While the film would never earn itself a sequel outing, the younger Kasdan recently spoke about his desire to fix an issue with the original film in a follow-up. Speaking with THR, Kasdan revealed that he believed that Dryden Vos’ decision to send Emilia Clarke’s Qi’ra to participate in the Kessel heist made no sense, given his desire to keep his gang’s involvement a secret. Check out his comments below:
I’ll tell you the biggest problem that has always haunted me about Solo. I’m going to reveal the writer’s nightmare right now. If Dryden Vos [Paul Bettany] is so concerned about exposing his gang in the [Kessel] heist, why does he send his most trusted aid [Qi’ra] to be the most visible member of the team that steals the coaxium? It seems to me that he’s going to have to kill her almost immediately just to separate himself from that job. So it always drove me crazy, and it was a problem that I was eager to retcon in a sequel.
How Solo 2 Could Fix Kasdan's Regret
Despite its troubles both behind-the-scenes and at the box office, many Star Wars fans have been eager to see Alden Ehrenreich return as Han Solo in a potential Solo 2. In 2019, a fan campaign led by Star Wars News Net's The Resistance Broadcast even coined a trending hashtag, #MakeSolo2Happen, ahead of the film’s one-year anniversary. Yet despite generating considerable interest online, Lucasfilm has seemingly remained steadfast in its decision that a sequel would not be forthcoming. Instead, it was announced that Donald Glover would be reprising his role as Lando Calrissian in his own Disney+ series.
If Lucasfilm were to ever greenlight a direct sequel to Solo: A Star Wars Story, it would provide the franchise the unique opportunity to go back and fix several issues surrounding Clarke’s Qi’ra and the Crimson Dawn. With the surprise reveal of Darth Maul at the film’s conclusion, it seemed clear that the father and son screenwriting team had worked in viable threads for future storylines dealing with the clandestine criminal organization led by the former Sith Lord. Bringing Qi’ra back, and further explaining her complicated relationship with her former employer (and his decision to include her in the Kessel heist), would be the perfect opportunity to shine a light on an intriguing part of Star Wars lore that has remained untouched since Howard’s film was first released.
However, given Solo: A Star Wars Story’s disappointing financial performance, coupled with mixed reactions to the films which comprised the sequel trilogy, Lucasfilm currently appear to be taking a far more cautious approach to their future film slate. While several potential film projects have been announced over the years, Lucasfilm appears to have directed most of its immediate attention to its various Star Wars streaming series on Disney+. When it finally comes time for the Star Wars franchise to make its triumphant return to the big screen, there will likely be many fans who will be keeping their fingers crossed for a cinematic sequel to 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Source: THR