A Reel Preview - Everything You Need to Know About SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY

This week, all cinema talk returns to STAR WARS, as the franchise continues to expand and explore with its newest release, SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY. Here is everything you need to know about the latest chapter in the ongoing saga.

What is this about? – SOLO is the second spin-off film to be produced by parent company Disney and Lucasfilm, with the first being ROGUE ONE back in 2016. These stand-alones take place in different points of the timeline, and focus on stories and characters outside of the primary trilogies. ROGUE ONE explored the events leading into A NEW HOPE (1977), and SOLO takes place during the younger, and formative years of one of the franchise’s most popular characters, Han Solo. It’s the story of how the famed smuggler, destined to become a war hero and fall in love with a princess, earned his friendship with the wookie Chewbacca and acquired his famous ship, the Millennium Falcon.

Who is behind this? – The production of this film has hit more rocks than the Falcon in an asteroid field. The original directors, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the makers of THE LEGO MOVIE (2014), were dismissed due to creative differences and production problems. They were replaced by director Ron Howard, whose Oscar-winning directing credits include A BEAUTIFUL MIND (2001), APOLLO 13 (1995), BACKDRAFT (1991), and WILLOW (1988). The film is written by Lawrence Kasdan and his son Jonathan. The elder Kasdan is no stranger to STAR WARS, having written the best entry, THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980), along with THE FORCE AWAKENS (2015), and another popular Lucasfilm property, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981).

Who is in this? – The role of young Han Solo, which was originated by Harrison Ford in 1977 and reprised in three sequels, is taken over by Alden Ehrenreich…whose most notable role came in the Coen Bros. comedy HAIL CAESAR! He also has credits in Woody Allen’s BLUE JASMINE (2013), and Chan-wook’s STOKER (2013). Another important re-cast is Donald Glover playing a young Lando Carlissian, who was originally played by Billy Dee Williams in the Original Trilogy. The rest of the impressive cast includes Woody Harrelson, Thandie Newton, Paul Bettany, and Emilia Clarke (TV’s GAME OF THRONES).

Random Facts – Series creator George Lucas actually began developing a Han Solo stand-alone film as far back as 2012; well before he sold the entire franchise to Disney  * Ron Howard is no stranger to Lucasfilm; his fantasy WILLOW from 1988 was produced by Lucas. Howard also acted alongside Harrison Ford in Lucas’ first feature film, AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973) * Woody Harrelson was picked over Christian Bale (THE DARK KNIGHT), as Han Solo’s mentor * This is the first time an Academy Award-winning director has made a STAR WARS film * The film takes place roughly 10 years before the events of A NEW HOPE * The film’s release date of May 25^th, 2018 is exactly 41 years after the first STAR WARS film was released * Actor Warwick Davis, who has appeared in several STAR WARS films starting with RETURN OF THE JEDI (1983), also worked with Ron Howard in WILLOW and appears in SOLO * The score is composed by John Powell (HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON), with a contribution from long-time STAR WARS composer John Williams *

What to expect – When STAR WARS first exploded into our lives in 1977, the center of its galaxy was to be the character of Luke Skywalker, played by Mark Hamill. Spin-off stories in the form of comics and books pushed this idea, going as far as to tag The Adventures of Luke Skywalker after STAR WARS. But for many reasons, ranging from the cocky, anti-hero nature of the character to the charm of Harrison Ford, the character of Han Solo upstaged Luke and became the face of the franchise. The character is iconic, which means Alden Ehrenreich and Ron Howard have massive boots to fill. The production issues behind the scenes are a concern, but with Howard’s experience and Disney’s oversight, things should come together. On the screen, we should expect a technically proficient film, and Kasdan’s scripts always function very well. Howard has a great touch for directing action and building tension, and Ehrenreich, who upstaged everyone in HAIL CAESAR! (not an easy thing to do in a Coen Bros. ensemble piece), should do nicely. But unlike the hero that it’s based on, SOLO will unlikely take a lot of chances. After the bold decisions made by the most recent film THE LAST JEDI (2017), which caused a lot of division among STAR WARS fans, Disney is likely to play things safe with their most popular character. We can expect them to get from A to Z proficiently and quickly, with hopefully a few surprises.

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SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY arrives May 25^th, with limited showings on the 24^th. It will be available in 2D, 3D, and IMAX formats. It is rated PG-13 and runs 135 minutes.