2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story proved there’s still surprises to be had in the summer box office season. An adventure to a galaxy far, far away doesn’t always equate to a smash hit. Han Solo’s origins brought in the lowest numbers for a new Star Wars film to date. Whether it underperformed due to news of on-set turmoil, jam-packed competition or Star Wars fatigue following the release of The Last Jedi, one year later fans have started to campaign for the story to continue.
A couple months ago, the hashtag #MakeSolo2Happen started trending on Twitter, so loudly that it reached the likes of Solo director Ron Howard and co-screenwriter Joe Kasdan. Now, composer John Powell has also joined in on the support with this Instagram post:
With a picture of Han Solo’s lucky pair of dice, the composer offered them up for the sequel if needed, with the hashtag and a shout out to the Star Wars, Lucasfilm and Ron Howard accounts. John Powell also famously scored the How to Train Your Dragon films and Bourne franchise. Contributing his musical talents to a Star Wars movie places him among the great John Williams, so of course he’s game to keep it going!
Solo: A Star Wars Story was originally supposed to be the start of a trilogy of films, since Alden Ehrenreich revealed he signed on to a three film contract. However, considering the film’s underperformance at the box office, these plans may have been thrown out. There were some unforeseen factors for the film that led to its disappointment, that could be used to the advantage of a better sequel.
Just think: we had Ron Howard on a Star Wars movie! But because he entered the project late, he may not have been able to do exactly what he wanted with it. Solo also had a talented cast including Game of Thrones’ Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson and Donald Glover. Under better circumstances, a Solo movie could be a hit.
Due to Star Wars’ massive reputation, what might be considered a home run for any other film was deemed a huge failure for Solo. When the movie opened at $83 million during its first weekend, Ron Howard noted it was the highest debut of his career – you know, the one that includes Apollo 13, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Backdraft.
The movie went on to make $392 million worldwide, was the 12th highest grossing film of 2018 and earned a 70% score on Rotten Tomatoes. These stats don’t scream “failure”, but by Disney’s standards, which has had multiple movies cross $1 billion at the box office this year, maybe it is. Perhaps, Solo could find a place on the studio’s upcoming Disney+ streaming service?
What do you think? Would you like to see another Solo movie? Let us know in the comments below!
