Star Wars: Lucasfilm President Reflects on Solo Origin Movie Disappointment and What Franchise Won't Do Again
The Star Wars franchise has sprawled a number of years, which means delivering younger and older versions of iconic characters, though Solo: A Star Wars Story served as the first spin-off film meant to be an origin story for a beloved character. Despite earning a relatively warm reception, currently sitting at 69% positive reviews from critics, it is the lowest-earning live-action Star Wars film, likely due to a number of reasons. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy recently hinted that bringing in a new actor to attempt to capture the spirit of an iconic figure is something the franchise likely won't be doing again anytime soon.
While speaking with Vanity Fair, in reference to the attempts to replicate the charm and charisma of a defined figure with another performer, Kennedy expressed, "There should be moments along the way when you learn things," while adding, "Now it does seem so abundantly clear that we can't do that."
It's worth noting that Kennedy didn't specifically say that there will never be another Star Wars origin story, nor did she say that the franchise would never enlist actors to play younger versions of established figures. In fact, while some audiences were left underwhelmed with Alden Ehrenreich's take on the smuggler, fans also loved Donald Glover's performance as Lando Calrissian, to the point that Lando is getting his own series. Instead, it seems to speak more to the world of live-action films and that their driving narrative won't be to tell a story about the early years of beloved characters, especially if that requires enlisting an actor tasked with replicating the spirit of another performer's take on the role.
Kennedy isn't the only one involved with Solo who recently shared their thoughts on the movie, with director Ron Howard also opening up about the project earlier this month.
"I understood that this difference had created a schism to the point where they weren't going to be able to go on working together, and that was really unfortunate because I like [original directors] Phil [Lord] and Chris [Miller], and I also really admire them," Howard expressed to The Hollywood Reporter. "When I looked at the footage and read the script, which I liked, I felt like I understood what it was that the studio and Lucasfilm were looking for in finishing the movie and reshooting some of the movie, and in a few places, I thought of reconceiving a few scenes, which they were open to. I had some really comforting conversations with Phil and Chris, who let me know that they weren't leaving because I was coming in."
Stay tuned for details on the future of the Star Wars franchise.
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