Image: Star Wars
On the occasion of May 25, the entire “Star Wars” franchise celebrated its 42nd anniversary.
But 1977’s iconic “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope” wasn’t necessarily fans’ sole focus over the weekend; 2016’s less well-received prequel, “Solo: A Star Wars Story”, marked two years since its debut on the very same day.
That’s where the MakeSolo2Happen hashtag comes in.
Solo doesn't deserve all the hate it gets. #MakeSolo2Happen pic.twitter.com/sLLRU7Qptc
— Everything Star Wars (@EverythingSW66) May 25, 2020
Partway through production, the project transitioned from Phil Lord and Christopher Miller of “The Lego Movie” and the “Jump Street” remakes to Ron Howard of “A Beautiful Mind” and “The Da Vinci Code.”
Upon release, it was the sixth most-expensive film ever made (“Avengers: Endgame” has since knocked it down to seventh), with a production budget of around $275 million.
#MakeSolo2Happen We need mor Qi'ra!! pic.twitter.com/nezNxUNBIh
— Art of Ice and Fire (@ArtofASOIAF) May 25, 2020
Once box office returns came in, it emerged as the “Star Wars” franchise’s worst-performing entry, making $393 million. With marketing spends taken into account, “Solo” was considered a flop.
Yet the franchise prequel set itself up for continuation, thanks in part to a surprise and largely unresolved appearance for legacy character Darth Maul.
Just as importantly, the film has accumulated a fresh cohort of appreciative fans since arriving on streaming services in early 2019.
Don't think anyone's pursuing a Solo sequel at the moment @KenobiJj I think a feature, at this point, would be a tough sell & the D+ Star Wars slate is really…pretty packed, all shows I'm lookin forward to. My work on Indy is long over but I'm excited there's forward movement!
— Jon Kasdan (@JonKasdan) March 30, 2020
Even so, as recently as March, the movie’s co-writer Jon Kasdan cautioned that a sequel would be unlikely, even if only for scheduling reasons. JB
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