Solo: A Star Wars Story is an interesting film. It’s something that no one was really expecting or demanding. The focus was not just on an original Star Wars character, but one of the big three. Not only was it about one of the big three, but the actor who originally performed that character was (is) still alive. When one thinks of Han Solo, one thinks of Harrison Ford. We had even seen Ford play the character a few years prior in The Force Awakens.
Despite all that, Solo was not just a fun movie that explored new and old characters alike, it felt like Star Wars. But it was more than that space Western feel that we look for in our favorite galaxy far, far away. It was a heist movie set in Star Wars. And that was new. So, did we need Solo? No. But I, for one, am glad we got it and I’d love to see that story explored further.
Lawrence Kasdan on the Future of Solo
While speaking with Inverse about directing Light & Magic, the subject of Han Solo came up. Very specifically about a Han Solo TV series for Disney+.
"No there’s not any talk of that. I’ve never been particularly drawn to expanding [Solo] into a show. But, I do talk to Jon [Kasdan] and Ron [Howard] a lot about what went right and what went wrong with the Solo experience. I would be more interested in doing another movie, not a TV series."
I’ll take Star Wars anyway I can get it; however, I’ve gone on record as saying that the future of Star Wars is on the small screen. One can look at The Mandalorian or Obi-Wan Kenobi as to the success of what longer-form storytelling can do for the franchise. Kenobi specifically tackles what a Solo series would explore: the adventures of a legacy character.
There’s a lot to like about Solo and the cast was top-notch. Alden Ehrenreich gave us an incredible performance as our favorite smuggler. We don’t talk about it much because he happened to be surrounded by A+ performances by Emilia Clarke (Qi’ra), Donald Glover (Lando Calrissian), and Phoebe Waller-Bridge (L3-37). There’s plenty left over from Solo that could be explored and fleshed out throughout either another movie or streaming series.
Solo’s Future Should be Standalone
Something that I think that would benefit Solo, whether it be a series or a film (and especially if it’s a film), is that the continued stories of a pre-A New Hope Han Solo be standalone; akin to the Indiana Jones franchise. It just so happens that Ehrenreich agrees, speaking with Screen Rant in 2018:
"Well, I think I just want to see more of his relationships with these characters. I think that would be really a lot of fun. And I think each being its own kind of adventure story and like almost, the Indiana Jones mold would be pretty fricking cool."
Large sweeping arcs should be left to those larger stories we’ve come to know from Star Wars. When we’re focusing on a character like Han Solo, who had been on a handful of adventures before we first met him in A New Hope, standalone stories allow for a focus on that story.
Do you want more Solo? How would like to see the future of that series come to life—via a streaming series or another film as Kasdan suggests? Let us know in the comments below!