Ron Howard Says Fans Will Determine if 'Solo: A Star Wars Story' Gets Sequels

Much like fans heading into Rogue One knew that it would lead to the events of the original Star Wars trilogy, many fans are heading into Solo: A Star Wars Story with the mindset that it is a standalone adventure for the iconic smuggler. While director Ron Howard confirms there are no concrete plans for future installments in the pirate's personal franchise, he claims that fan response to this adventure could result in follow-up films.

"I think the fans are going to define all of that," Howard shared with Fandango of the possibility of sequels. "I mean I think that Lucasfilm and Disney in casting actors, and particularly younger actors, want to see what happens and build upon that. Certainly, they want the commitment from the young actors, but there are no concrete plans. I think there's been a lot of creative energy and now marketing energy going behind this movie."

Like most film franchises, the biggest factor in making these decisions would be seeing the box office turnout, as Lucasfilm would want to give fans what they wanted if they respond positively to Solo. The timeframe of this new film could allow for many more years of adventures before Han walked into the Mos Eisley cantina to kick off his journey with the Rebel Alliance.

"I think these are exactly what they're meant to be, or what they're designed to be," Howard pointed out. "They're single movies exploring the galaxy; but of course, as a company, I think they're going to be very interested to see how people respond to it and take it from there. This whole thing is kind of a cool, ambitious exploration of what the galaxy and the Star Wars sensibility can continue to mean to fans."

Lucky for fans, star Alden Ehrenreich let it slip that, when agreeing to accept the role, he signed on for more than one appearance.

During a recent interview with Esquire, the actor was directly asked how many films he signed on for, replying, "Three." He then added, "I don't know if that's officially, uh, public. But—yeah."

Ehrenreich's comments don't confirm long-term plans for the character, as it's possible that Lucasfilm merely wanted to hedge their bets in case it became a massive success. Additionally, Ehrenreich could make a minor appearance in another spinoff, especially if the rumored Boba Fett film ends up moving forward in development.

Solo: A Star Wars Story lands in theaters on May 25th.

Would you potentially be interested in a sequel or prefer we only have this one Solo film? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!

[H/T Fandango]