Star Wars: Solo Director Ron Howard Confirms No Sequel Progress, but Fan Support "Bodes Well" for Future

For a variety of reasons, the future of the Star Wars franchise looks somewhat uncertain, and [...]

By Patrick Cavanaugh

For a variety of reasons, the future of the Star Wars franchise looks somewhat uncertain, and while Solo: A Star Wars Story director Ron Howard confirms there are currently no plans to develop a sequel to the 2018 film, he believes that the number of fans who have been championing the standalone adventure in the years since its release is a promising sign for what the future for the characters could hold. As is the nature of the Star Wars franchise, countless rumors and reports circle the internet about what Lucasfilm could potentially do with the characters, from more films to spinoff TV series for Disney+, yet with the coronavirus pandemic taking a major toll on Hollywood, we shouldn't expect any potential news about such a project to be confirmed anytime soon, if ever.

"No rumblings, though, and this is not a spoiler or anything, but I think there is interest in those characters," Howard shared with the Lights, Camera, Barstool podcast. "I think there's interest in the gangster world somewhere down the line. But I can assure you there is nothing being developed right now for a movie or Disney+. But, one great thing is there has been a lot of affection shown for Solo, and so of course that keeps boding well for them to eventually turn it around."

Recent years have been tumultuous for fans of Star Wars movies, as there have been immense highs and depressing lows, both in financial performances of outings and in narrative reception to new installments in the series. While the first two films released by Disney, Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, were both largely considered financial and critical successes, the reception to Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Solo, and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker have been all over the map.

Ahead of the release of Solo, it seemed like the growth of Star Wars movies was happening at an exponential rate, though the film's lackluster box office performance seemingly thwarted not only the potential for sequels, but for other movies that had yet to officially be confirmed. Even The Last Jedi writer/director Rian Johnson's announced trilogy of films, which were revealed back in 2017, have yet to have any official updates in three years.

Despite the conflicted reactions to theatrical outings, Disney+ has found major success with the first live-action Star Wars series, The Mandalorian, which has resulted in Disney expanding their offerings on the service with three confirmed series, with more reported to be in the works. In this regard, it sounds as though Howard doubts we'll get a big-screen continuation of Solo, but the more fans vocalize their support of that film, Disney could take notice to pursue more projects in that world.

Stay tuned for the possible future for Solo: A Star Wars Story.

What do you think of the filmmaker's remarks? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!

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