Despite earning generally positive reviews from critics, Solo: A Star Wars Story has the infamous distinction of being the only Star Wars movie to bomb at the box office. Arriving in theaters on the heels of the one-two punch of Avengers: Infinity War and Deadpool 2, it earned just $393 million worldwide against a production budget that ballooned past $300 million thanks to the well-documented production issues. It’s safe to say Solo fell short of expectations, but star Alden Ehrenreich wasn’t to blame. Having the unenviable task of following Harrison Ford’s footsteps as the beloved smuggler, the actor managed to capture the spirit of the character and did the best he could with the material. Some fans are still holding out hope Ehrenreich will return to the Star Wars franchise, and he would on one condition.
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In an interview with Collider, Ehrenreich addressed the possibility of coming back to the galaxy far, far away. “It would have to really, really be the right version of it,” he said, implying that a return would depend on the quality of the script.
Could Alden Ehrenreich’s Han Solo Return in a Star Wars Movie or TV Show?
It seems unlikely Ehrenreich’s Han would be the star of another feature film. Solo‘s rocky reception caused Lucasfilm to rethink its strategy, and the studio pivoted away from spin-off movies about other legacy characters. Projects revolving around fan favorites like Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi were reworked to be TV series for Disney+. Ten years separate the end of Solo from Star Wars: A New Hope on the franchise timeline, so there’s potential there for another story about Han’s smuggling days (including his first jobs for Jabba the Hutt), but there’s been no indication that such a film could ever come to fruition.
If Ehrenreich’s Han isn’t going to headline a project again, there seemingly could be opportunities for him to return in a supporting role or as part of an ensemble. Lucasfilm has been telling several on-screen stories set in the New Republic era, so Ehrenreich could portray a post-Return of the Jedi Han in something like Dave Filoni’s movie. The issue there would be ensuring Ehrenreich had a worthwhile part to play, fulfilling his one condition. Star Wars has been guilty of leaning on fan service in the past, and placing a focus on Han instead of other characters could be distracting. It doesn’t sound like Ehrenreich is interested in making an empty calories cameo. He wants a meaty role to explore.
Theoretically, there could be a Disney+ series chronicling Han’s smuggling misadventures before A New Hope, but there are some questions surrounding Star Wars’ future on TV. Disney told Star Wars: Andor showrunner Tony Gilroy that “streaming is dead,” which doesn’t bode well for more shows set in the galaxy far, far away. Star Wars: Ahsoka Season 2 is currently in production, but it’s unknown what will follow. In the interest of scaling back output, Disney and Lucasfilm may opt to slow things down on TV as the movies start back up.
Ehrenreich had the charming screen presence and charisma necessary to do Han justice. It would be great to see him get another shot at the role, but it’s also difficult to see where he could fit. Kathleen Kennedy has talked about how she wants to push Star Wars into new territory by telling standalone stories that aren’t connected to anything that came before. Projects like the in-production Star Wars: Starfighter and James Mangold’s Dawn of the Jedi are examples of this, bouncing around the franchise timeline to find exciting new narratives to tell. Han is undoubtedly a great character, but so much of his story has been seen. Perhaps it’s best if Lucasfilm lets him rest.
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Image courtesy of Stage 6 Films -
Image courtesy of Lucasfilm
