Ron Howard’s “Star Wars” prequel movie “Solo” was supposed to launch a new sector of storytelling for the long-running franchise. Young iterations of Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) and Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover) were introduced and intended for sequels and spinoffs, while the 2018 film also revealed that Darth Maul was still alive. None of these plot threads have continued as “Solo” bombed at the box office with just $392 million worldwide, barely making a profit for Disney.
Speaking to NME in a recent interview, Howard said that any talks of a “Solo” sequel are coming only from fans and not Lucasfilm itself. In other words, “Solo 2” is still dead.
“The only discussion that I’m aware of about a sequel for ‘Solo’ is coming from the fans at this point,” Howard said. “I don’t think it’s a Lucasfilm priority, as I understand it.”
Howard added, “But there’s some great characters launched, and the folks from Lucasfilm love the fans and really do listen so I would never say never — but I’m not aware of any concrete plans right now to extend the story or deal with that particular set of characters.”
During an appearance on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast in 2019, Howard called the response to the film “disappointing.”
“It made a lot of money, it just didn’t live up to expectations,” Howard said. “I came in eager to help, felt like I could, and had a blast. Normally it takes three years, I worked eight months and had an experience. I feel very good about the way it turned out. I loved the way it played to audiences, which I witnessed. All of that I am able to feel good about.”
Howard cited nostalgia has a reason “Solo” might’ve bombed at the box office. “Maybe it’s the idea that it’s too nostalgic,” he said. “That going back and revisiting an origin story for a beloved character may not be what the fans were looking for.”
The “Star Wars” franchise has rebounded in recent years with its Disney+ television offerings, including the fan-favorite “The Mandalorian” and the critically acclaimed “Andor.”