With the success of 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Lucasfilm was quick to announce plans for another such spin-off. This eventually took the form of Solo. But is the film available for streaming on Disney+?
It is important to remember that Lucasfilm is under the Disney umbrella. This means that all things Star Wars (and other series such as Indiana Jones and Willow) are subject to more or less the same viewing rights as any other Disney property.
Where to stream Solo: A Star Wars Story
This means that yes, Solo is indeed on Disney+ as is every other Star Wars film, whether it is in the Skywalker Saga or beyond.
The production of the most recent Star Wars Story was a turbulent one. It was the first Star Wars film to lose its director after production had already started. To be clear, Colin Trevorrow was slated to direct Episode IX but was not the director by the time shooting began under the stewardship of J.J. Abrams.
The pair behind the acclaimed Lego Movie, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller had overseen production of a significant amount of Solo before being dismissed by Lucasfilm in June 2017. The company stated that they were unsatisfied with the pair’s approach and improvisational style as felt it veered too far from writer Lawrence Kasdan’s script. Perhaps their style would be more suited to a potential Lego Star Wars movie?
The Star Wars spin-off that almost never was
A replacement was soon found in respected Hollywood director and long-time friend of George Lucas, none other than Ron Howard. The filmmaker had a pre-established relationship with Lucasfilm as the director of 1988’s cult classic Willow and was even offered the directorship of Episode I but turned it down, prompting Lucas himself to helm the film that would eventually become The Phantom Menace.
The resulting reshoots replaced a reported 70 percent of the film’s total footage, which even by reshoot standards is a huge margin. The results of this made Solo one of the most expensive films ever made. If judged by its break-even point, the film was technically a box office bomb, a first for the saga. However, it was well-received by fans and critics who gave particular praise to the performances of Alden Ehrenreich starring as Han Solo himself and Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian.
Thus far there have been no further films with the Star Wars Story anthological subheading, but last December, Lucasfilm confirmed that more stand-alone Star Wars films were indeed on the way. No word on whether they will carry the Star Wars story heading as of yet.
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