ⓘ Details

Movie TitleSolo: A Star Wars Story

Release DateMay 25, 2018 in North America

TaglineNever tell him the odds.

Runtime135 minutes / 2 hours 15 minutes

DirectorRon Howard

Screenplay Written ByJonathan Kasdan and Lawrence Kasdan

Based OnThe Star Wars characters created by George Lucas

Is It a Remake?No. It is a standalone Star Wars anthology prequel focused on Han Solo before the events of Star Wars: A New Hope.

BudgetApproximately $275 million

Box OfficeApprox. $213.8 million domestic / approx. $393.2 million worldwide

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👥 Main Cast

Alden EhrenreichHan Solo

Woody HarrelsonTobias Beckett

Emilia ClarkeQi’ra

Donald GloverLando Calrissian

Thandiwe NewtonVal

Phoebe Waller-BridgeL3-37

Joonas SuotamoChewbacca

Paul BettanyDryden Vos

Jon FavreauRio Durant

Erin KellymanEnfys Nest

Linda HuntLady Proxima

Ian KennyRebolt

Warwick DavisWeazel

Ray ParkMaul

Sam WitwerMaul, voice

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🏆 Awards

⭐ Academy Award Nominee — Best Visual Effects

⭐ BAFTA Nominee — Best Special Visual Effects

⭐ Saturn Award Nominee — Best Science Fiction Film

⭐ Saturn Award Nominee — Best Supporting Actor, Donald Glover

⭐ Visual Effects Society Award Nominee — Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature

⭐ Grammy Award Nominee — Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media

⭐ No Golden Globe nominations were verified for the film.

⭐ The film’s biggest legacy may be its “what could have been” reputation: a Star Wars heist prequel with a messy production, a massive budget, and a fan base that has warmed to it more over time.

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📖 Short Plot Summary

Young Han escapes the shipyards of Corellia but is separated from Qi’ra, the woman he loves. Years later, after deserting the Imperial army, he falls in with smuggler Tobias Beckett and his crew, meets Chewbacca, and gets pulled into a dangerous job for crime boss Dryden Vos. To steal valuable coaxium from Kessel, Han needs help from smooth gambler Lando Calrissian and his famous ship, the Millennium Falcon. Solo: A Star Wars Story is a space-western heist prequel about how Han got his name, his best friend, his ship, and enough trust issues to last an entire trilogy.

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❝ Key Quotes

“I’ve got a really good feeling about this.” — Han Solo

“Everything you’ve heard about me is true.” — Lando Calrissian

“Let me give you some advice. Assume everyone will betray you, and you will never be disappointed.” — Tobias Beckett

“I waited a long time for a shot like this.” — Han Solo

“You might want to buckle up, baby.” — Lando Calrissian

“It’s the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs.” — Han Solo

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💡 Trivia

Director

Solo: A Star Wars Story was ultimately directed by Ron Howard.
Phil Lord and Christopher Miller originally directed much of the film before leaving the project due to creative differences with Lucasfilm.
Howard came in during production and completed the film, including extensive reshoots.
The screenplay was written by Lawrence Kasdan and Jonathan Kasdan.
Lawrence Kasdan had a deep Star Wars history, having co-written The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and The Force Awakens.

Cast / Casting

Alden Ehrenreich plays young Han Solo, stepping into one of Harrison Ford’s most famous roles.
Donald Glover plays young Lando Calrissian and was widely praised for capturing Billy Dee Williams’ charm without simply doing an impression.
Joonas Suotamo plays Chewbacca, continuing his work as the character after taking over from Peter Mayhew.
Emilia Clarke plays Qi’ra, Han’s childhood love and a key figure in the Crimson Dawn criminal syndicate.
Michael K. Williams was originally cast as Dryden Vos, but scheduling conflicts during reshoots led to Paul Bettany replacing him.
Ray Park physically returned as Maul, with Sam Witwer providing the character’s voice, connecting the film to larger Star Wars animation and prequel-era lore.

Soundtrack / Score

John Powell composed the film’s score.
John Williams wrote the new Han Solo theme, “The Adventures of Han.”
Powell’s score blends classic Star Wars orchestration with western, heist, and chase-movie energy.
The score received a Grammy nomination for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media.
The music has to do a lot of heavy lifting: make the movie feel like Star Wars, but also like a criminal road trip with capes, dice, and very questionable job security.

Location

The story takes place on Corellia, Mimban, Vandor, Kessel, Savareen, and other parts of the Star Wars galaxy.
Filming took place primarily at Pinewood Studios in England.
Additional filming used locations including Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands and Tre Cime di Lavaredo in Italy.
The snowy Vandor train heist gives the film one of its biggest western-style set pieces.
The Kessel Run sequence finally visualizes one of Han Solo’s most famous boasts, which is brave because fans had been arguing about parsecs since 1977.

Behind-The-Scenes

The film was produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Allison Shearmur, and Simon Emanuel.
Lucasfilm produced the film, and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures distributed it.
The production budget was reported at approximately $275 million by Box Office Mojo, making it one of the most expensive Star Wars films.
The film grossed about $213.8 million domestically and about $393.2 million worldwide.
Because of its high cost and underperforming box office, the film was widely reported as a financial disappointment for Disney and Lucasfilm.
The production troubles and release timing helped shape its reputation as much as the movie itself, which is a very Star Wars way for everyone to argue before the opening crawl even starts.

Nostalgia

Solo explores the origins of several Han Solo trademarks, including his blaster, his friendship with Chewbacca, the Millennium Falcon, and the Kessel Run.
The movie brings Lando, the Falcon, and Chewbacca together in a lighter heist format than the main Skywalker saga.
For some fans, it is an unnecessary origin story. For others, it is a fun underdog Star Wars side quest that got treated too harshly on release.
The film has gained a small “Solo deserved better” fan movement over time.
It is basically the Star Wars movie equivalent of ordering a side dish and then realizing the side dish has Donald Glover in a cape, so honestly, not a bad deal.

Easter Eggs

Han’s golden dice appear as a major visual callback to the original trilogy and The Last Jedi.
The Kessel Run finally explains Han’s famous “less than twelve parsecs” line from A New Hope.
Maul’s cameo connects the film to The Phantom Menace, The Clone Wars, and Star Wars Rebels.
Warwick Davis appears as Weazel, a character name connected to his earlier appearance in The Phantom Menace.
Lando’s closet full of capes is exactly the kind of detail that feels both ridiculous and completely correct.
Qi’ra’s connection to Crimson Dawn leaves the ending open for stories that the film never got to continue theatrically.

Misc.

Solo: A Star Wars Story is rated PG-13.
The movie runs 135 minutes.
It is the second Star Wars anthology film after Rogue One.
The film opened over Memorial Day weekend in 2018.
Rotten Tomatoes summarizes the plot as a young Han Solo teaming with Chewbacca, joining smugglers, meeting Lando, and attempting to steal coaxium from Kessel.
Your 3 Guys and a Flick ratings page lists Solo: A Star Wars Story as Episode 15, with Don rating it 3.00, Ken rating it 3.00, Jon rating it 2.50, and an overall rating of 2.83.

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