Solo: A Star Wars Story provided the backstory of the iconic character Han Solo, but the film did not go as well as Disney had hoped. Now, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy has commented on the lessons learned from the disappointing response to the Star Wars anthology flick.
Disney has tried their darndest to expand the Star Wars universe through prequels and spinoffs for the past several years. With how many properties they've released over the past few years, they had to anticipate that not everything would go swimmingly. While the critical reception for Solo was okay, it went on to be the lowest-grossing film in the Star Wars franchise. The lack of return proved to be a massive setback for Disney's goals of expanding Star Wars.
Kennedy recently reflected on what she and Disney learned from the experience with Vanity Fair. Most notably, what she learned is that re-casting isn't as easy as it sounds, especially when it comes to a character with the popularity that Han Solo has possessed for half a century now. In her interview, Kennedy acknowledged that she learned a lesson from Solo: A Star Wars Story when trying to expand the Star Wars Universe by getting new and younger actors to try to capture the spirit of iconic characters. “There should be moments along the way when you learn things,” Kennedy said. “Now it does seem so abundantly clear that we can’t do that.”
Through all of the miscues and obstacles they've had to face since the very beginning, Star Wars is still a very popular film franchise with a fiercely loyal (and arguably toxic) fanbase. It makes sense why those at Lucasfilm would try to explore every avenue they can to expand the story. It should comfort the fans that Kennedy is acknowledging that they have made mistakes in the past and have vowed to learn from them instead of doubling down and blaming the fans for how things turned out.
Whether you like Solo: A Star Wars Story or not, one thing is for sure. These days, it's clear that Disney can't just slap Star Wars on any property and fully expect it to succeed. For one thing, Star Wars isn't Marvel. When the franchise started, it was supposed to be a six-episode story with a few animated series to fill the gaps. Disney then changed the formula and made it a cinematic universe when the fans weren't ready for that kind of change. It's especially hard since the new trilogy, while financially profitable, was not unanimously received well by the fanbase, so they go into every property with a little skepticism.
Where Lucasfilm and Disney go from here following the Solo's failure is what fans should certainly keep an eye on. It's great that Kennedy and those running Star Wars acknowledge that they've made their mistakes. Now they need to prove that they've learned from them. In the past few years, it has felt like Star Wars has overcompensated with the movies and shows they've given fans since 2015. With any luck, the not-so-great reception to them will show executives that it's the franchise's original quality that got fans to be invested in the story, not the quantity of the material they were getting.
Solo: A Star Wars Story can currently be streamed on Disney Plus.
Source: Vanity Fair