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5 Reasons You Should Be Excited About Solo: A Star Wars Story


Just when fans were all but ready to give up hope, the first full trailer for Solo: A Star Wars Story arrived, proving not only that the spinoff film survived its tumultuous production but that its May 25 release date remains intact. The lack of marketing, especially for something as big as a Star Wars film, was understandably concerning, but now that we’ve cleared that massive hurdle, we might as well keep feeding the hype machine.

Here are 5 reasons you should be excited about Solo: A Star Wars Story:

  1. The Star Power

    If we’re being honest, Han Solo actor Alden Ehrenreich doesn’t necessarily have a ton of cachet, but thankfully, he’s got a star-studded supporting cast to work with. Obviously, Woody Harrelson, who plays Han’s mentor Beckett, is the biggest name, but let’s not forget Emilia Clarke (Qi’Ra) and Thandie Newton (undisclosed role), who are the de facto faces of two of HBO’s most popular series, Game of Thrones and Westworld. Joining them is Marvel Studios mainstay Paul Bettany (undisclosed role), as well as Donald Glover, who fans were more than happy to embrace as the new Lando Calrissian. Plus, you also have franchise alums Warwick Davis (undisclosed role) and Joonas Suotamo (Chewbacca) to help round out Solo’s already impressive cast.

  2. The Striking Visuals

    Regardless of your feelings towards the Disney era of Lucasfilm, you can’t deny that the last three films have all looked stunning, and from what little we’ve seen of Solo, it appears we’re in for more of the same. The cinematography in the trailer is gorgeous, but perhaps even more breathtaking are the visual effects, as best evidenced by the shot of the Star Destroyer and TIE Fighters emerging from an electric storm cloud. Furthermore, the film looks to have brilliantly captured the gritty aesthetic of Han’s old stomping grounds, harkening back to Rogue One’s visual depiction of the dark underbelly of the Star Wars universe.

  3. Ron Howard’s Direction

    Lucasfilm has had more than its fair share of directorial drama, but nothing stacks up to the Phil Lord and Chris Miller debacle, which culminated with the pair being unceremoniously fired while in the midst of production. Nevertheless, things began to look up when Academy Award-winning filmmaker Ron Howard was brought in to finish Solo, even in light of reports that he ended up reshooting more than 80 percent of the film. In addition to helming such cinematic gems as Apollo 13, Cinderella Man, and A Beautiful Mind, Howard has a longstanding friendship with the father of the Star Wars franchise, George Lucas, which dates all the way back to their work on American Graffiti in 1973. If there was ever a person tailor-made to direct a Star Wars film, it’s Ron Howard.

  4. Lawrence Kasdan’s Writing

    What good is an Academy Award-winning director without a great script to work with? OK, probably still pretty decent, but we tend to forget that the director’s job is to visualize the screenplay, so top-notch writers are a necessity, and in the case of Solo, we have the father-son pairing of Lawrence and Jon Kasdan. True, Jon’s resume contains more acting credits than writing, but Lawrence is the man who had a hand in crafting the scripts for The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, The Force Awakens, the Shadows of the Empire video game, and Raiders of the Lost Ark, among other major projects. To say Lawrence knows Lucasfilm in and out would be an understatement, so we should rest easy knowing the screenplay for Solo is in his veteran hands. (In fact, deviating from it is one of the primary reasons Lord and Miller were let go.)

  5. It’s HAN SOLO

    Do we really even need to explain this one? Han Solo is arguably the most iconic character in all of Star Wars, so why shouldn’t we be excited that he’s getting his own standalone movie? Sure, you can make the argument that Alden Ehrenreich is no Harrison Ford, or that exploring Han’s backstory could ruin his mystique, a la Anakin Skywalker, but: a) no one else will ever be Harrison Ford, so you might as well forget about that, and b) Lucasfilm is a far more efficient machine than it was during the prequel era, so we should have the utmost faith in the studio, as well as Ron Howard and Lawrence Kasdan, to do the character justice.

    Solo: A Star Wars Story hits theaters May 25.

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