Star Wars fans will have their thirst for more stories quenched on Friday when Solo: A Star Wars Story drops nationwide.
The spinoff film will tell the story of Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) as he joins a crew of smugglers led by a man named Beckett (Woody Harrelson). Hell meet Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover) in the film and spend time with his friend-from-home, Qira (Emilia Clarke). Oh, and dont forget about Chewbacca, who will battle alongside Solo in the film.
Solo will certainly be a box-office success (though its currently predicted to have one of the worst opening weekends of the Disney-era Star Wars films). Director Ron Howard said the film was an idea from original Star Wars director George Lucas, who pitched different spinoff stories based on what he thought fans would want.
But are there other Star Wars spinoff films that should be considered in the future? Absolutely. In fact, I would argue that Solo shouldnt even be a film.
Dont get me wrong. I get it. Star Wars fans love Han Solo. As one of the original characters, he captivated audiences with his cheeky grin, his one-liners and his excellent aim for shooting stormtroopers.
But weve already experienced most of his story. We know pretty much everything we need to know about him thanks to the three original films and "The Force Awakens." Solo will fill in some of the gaps of his early days, but does it really matter when Ehrenreich is playing Solo instead of Harrison Ford?
There are so many explored areas of the Star Wars universe that Disney and Lucasfilm havent touched. Yes, were getting a new live-action series, a new trilogy of films from the Game of Thrones creators and another trilogy from Rian Johnson. As a super fan, I'm happy about all of that. But Lucasfilm and Disney could have picked a more mysterious character for one of its spinoff films rather than our boy Han.
Here are five of those characters (and no, despite the rumors, I dont think we need an Obi-Wan spinoff film. Sorry. Its called the prequels).
Boba Fett
This one is a no-brainer.
We see a little bit of Boba Fett in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones. We understand that his father, Jango Fett, helped create the Clone Army that would eventually evolve into the Empires stormtroopers. We also briefly see him in Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV show.
All of that is cool. But how did we get from Boba Fett in Attack of the Clones and The Clone Wars to Boba Fett in Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back? Thats a journey I would love to see. We could begin to understand a little bit more about his training as a bounty hunter and how he came into contact with the Empire.
Lando Calrissian
Truly, the Solo film should really be a Lando film. Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy has hinted that a Lando-based spinoff film is on the way, but we need that film.
Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian has been heralded as one of the best parts of the new spinoff film. And given the character's pop culture popularity, it makes sense to give him his own film, where we can catch a glimpse of other "Star Wars" characters from the prequel and original trilogies. We could even learn a little bit more about Han Solo to satiate Han's fans.
Though this is also a rumored project, itd be a solid move for Lucasfilm to greenlight it.
Jabba the Hutt
Yes, there are rumors that Lucasfilm and Disney want to create a Jabba the Hutt spinoff film. I am totally here for that.
The point of the spinoff films is to showcase the "Star Wars" universe in ways the Skywalker saga simply cant do. We saw that with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which was a military, wartime story set in the Star Wars universe. You could say the same for Solo," which looks like a quirky, action-comedy heist set in the Star Wars arena.
If Disney focused on Jabba the Hut, they could dip their toes into the mobster film world. Jabba the Hutt is the king of the Star Wars gangsters. We could learn about his early years and what shady deals he cut to rise to his premier spot. Plus, understanding Jabba better would enhance the original trilogy, giving more weight to Han Solos decision to not pay back the slug, and raise the stakes for the final confrontation in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi.
Lor San Tekka
A little back story: Remember the older gentleman who utters the first words in Star Wars: The Force Awakens?
No? Heres a reminder.
That guy deserves a spinoff film before Solo. We dont really know anything about him, and yet he has a significant role in the new "Star Wars" trilogy. For one, he gives Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) a piece to the puzzle of where Luke Skywalker is hiding. He also claims to know a lot about General Leia Organa. It feels like we should know who Lor San Tekka is, and yet we dont receive any additional information. He does have something of a backstory (you can read it here), but not enough to make Force Awakens viewers know him.
Giving him a spinoff film would serve two functions help bridge the gap between Return of the Jedi and Force Awakens and give us a little more information about a seemingly important Star Wars characters.
Jar Jar Binks
OK. I know this sounds like a joke, but hear me out. "Star Wars" fans very much lament the existence of Jar Jar Binks. Deseret News readers dont like him at all. And other surveys have pointed to Jar Jar Binks as one of the least-liked characters in "Star Wars" history.
But this sets him up for a shot at redemption. Dont act like you wouldnt go see a film based on this goofball character. Just imagine a movie in which the goofy Gungan outcast serves time as a jester, cracking jokes that no one finds funny, completely disgraced after his decision to suggest that Chancellor Palpatine lead the Republic (which, you could argue, led to the fall of the Republic and rise of the Empire). Who wouldnt want to see that comeback story?
And lets not forget that Jar Jar has become something of a legend in recent years. An ongoing fan theory suggests that Jar Jar Binks was actually a Sith Lord during the entire prequel trilogy (the actor actually confirmed parts of it). Imagine if Star Wars was bold enough to make that theory into a film, or at least make a film about Jar Jar as a Sith? They'd have my money.
The spinoff film will tell the story of Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) as he joins a crew of smugglers led by a man named Beckett (Woody Harrelson). Hell meet Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover) in the film and spend time with his friend-from-home, Qira (Emilia Clarke). Oh, and dont forget about Chewbacca, who will battle alongside Solo in the film.
Solo will certainly be a box-office success (though its currently predicted to have one of the worst opening weekends of the Disney-era Star Wars films). Director Ron Howard said the film was an idea from original Star Wars director George Lucas, who pitched different spinoff stories based on what he thought fans would want.
But are there other Star Wars spinoff films that should be considered in the future? Absolutely. In fact, I would argue that Solo shouldnt even be a film.
Dont get me wrong. I get it. Star Wars fans love Han Solo. As one of the original characters, he captivated audiences with his cheeky grin, his one-liners and his excellent aim for shooting stormtroopers.
But weve already experienced most of his story. We know pretty much everything we need to know about him thanks to the three original films and "The Force Awakens." Solo will fill in some of the gaps of his early days, but does it really matter when Ehrenreich is playing Solo instead of Harrison Ford?
There are so many explored areas of the Star Wars universe that Disney and Lucasfilm havent touched. Yes, were getting a new live-action series, a new trilogy of films from the Game of Thrones creators and another trilogy from Rian Johnson. As a super fan, I'm happy about all of that. But Lucasfilm and Disney could have picked a more mysterious character for one of its spinoff films rather than our boy Han.
Here are five of those characters (and no, despite the rumors, I dont think we need an Obi-Wan spinoff film. Sorry. Its called the prequels).
Boba Fett
This one is a no-brainer.
We see a little bit of Boba Fett in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones. We understand that his father, Jango Fett, helped create the Clone Army that would eventually evolve into the Empires stormtroopers. We also briefly see him in Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV show.
All of that is cool. But how did we get from Boba Fett in Attack of the Clones and The Clone Wars to Boba Fett in Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back? Thats a journey I would love to see. We could begin to understand a little bit more about his training as a bounty hunter and how he came into contact with the Empire.
Lando Calrissian
Truly, the Solo film should really be a Lando film. Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy has hinted that a Lando-based spinoff film is on the way, but we need that film.
Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian has been heralded as one of the best parts of the new spinoff film. And given the character's pop culture popularity, it makes sense to give him his own film, where we can catch a glimpse of other "Star Wars" characters from the prequel and original trilogies. We could even learn a little bit more about Han Solo to satiate Han's fans.
Though this is also a rumored project, itd be a solid move for Lucasfilm to greenlight it.
Jabba the Hutt
Yes, there are rumors that Lucasfilm and Disney want to create a Jabba the Hutt spinoff film. I am totally here for that.
The point of the spinoff films is to showcase the "Star Wars" universe in ways the Skywalker saga simply cant do. We saw that with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which was a military, wartime story set in the Star Wars universe. You could say the same for Solo," which looks like a quirky, action-comedy heist set in the Star Wars arena.
If Disney focused on Jabba the Hut, they could dip their toes into the mobster film world. Jabba the Hutt is the king of the Star Wars gangsters. We could learn about his early years and what shady deals he cut to rise to his premier spot. Plus, understanding Jabba better would enhance the original trilogy, giving more weight to Han Solos decision to not pay back the slug, and raise the stakes for the final confrontation in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi.
Lor San Tekka
A little back story: Remember the older gentleman who utters the first words in Star Wars: The Force Awakens?
No? Heres a reminder.
That guy deserves a spinoff film before Solo. We dont really know anything about him, and yet he has a significant role in the new "Star Wars" trilogy. For one, he gives Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) a piece to the puzzle of where Luke Skywalker is hiding. He also claims to know a lot about General Leia Organa. It feels like we should know who Lor San Tekka is, and yet we dont receive any additional information. He does have something of a backstory (you can read it here), but not enough to make Force Awakens viewers know him.
Giving him a spinoff film would serve two functions help bridge the gap between Return of the Jedi and Force Awakens and give us a little more information about a seemingly important Star Wars characters.
Jar Jar Binks
OK. I know this sounds like a joke, but hear me out. "Star Wars" fans very much lament the existence of Jar Jar Binks. Deseret News readers dont like him at all. And other surveys have pointed to Jar Jar Binks as one of the least-liked characters in "Star Wars" history.
But this sets him up for a shot at redemption. Dont act like you wouldnt go see a film based on this goofball character. Just imagine a movie in which the goofy Gungan outcast serves time as a jester, cracking jokes that no one finds funny, completely disgraced after his decision to suggest that Chancellor Palpatine lead the Republic (which, you could argue, led to the fall of the Republic and rise of the Empire). Who wouldnt want to see that comeback story?
And lets not forget that Jar Jar has become something of a legend in recent years. An ongoing fan theory suggests that Jar Jar Binks was actually a Sith Lord during the entire prequel trilogy (the actor actually confirmed parts of it). Imagine if Star Wars was bold enough to make that theory into a film, or at least make a film about Jar Jar as a Sith? They'd have my money.
