No 'Solo: A Star Wars Story' Sequel Being Planned Right Now, Director Ron Howard Confirms

There have been recent rumblings about some kind of follow-up to Solo: A Star Wars Story. Though disappointing box office returns had pretty much already solidified the fact that the Star Wars origin story of Han Solo wouldn't be getting its own new franchise, rumors have been sparking in recent weeks about some kind of continuation of the plot threads established in the movie. But when it comes to rumors of an official sequel getting traction, director Ron Howard has officially debunked them.

Ron Howard recently appeared on Radio Andy on Sirius XM (via The Playlist), and discussion eventually came around to rumors regarding a Solo sequel. There haven't been any trustworthy reports about the future of a potential Solo franchise, so we've just assumed it's the hopes of fans gaining traction as rumors on the internet, which happens all the time. Howard confirmed as much when he said:

"Well, there's no sequel planned now. It's amazing to be a part of a Star Wars movie that seems to be a kind of underground hit, which is not what you'd expect, but that's been an odd, strange journey for that movie."

Indeed, Solo: A Star Wars Story had a long road to theaters. Directing duo Phil Lord & Chris Miller were originally hired to direct the movie, but they were let go and replaced with Ron Howard after too much creative clashing. The story is that Lord & Miller's filmmaking style apparently wasn't lending itself to the kind of movie that Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy wanted to make, so they chose to part ways. That's when Ron Howard was hired to get the job done and here we are.

The reaction to Solo: A Star Wars Story wasn't through the roof, earning only a 70% critical score on Rotten Tomatoes. But as time has gone on, fans have started to come around to the movie. Our old pal Germain Lussier at io9, a die-hard Star Wars fan, even recently ruminated on Solo after rewatching it on Disney+, and he says if you weren't a huge fan of the movie the first time around, you might want to revisit it. We could soon be living in a world where Star Wars fans start saying, "Well, I've always loved Solo." Sure, Han.

But there's been a recent surge in support for Solo, which wasn't all that bad of a movie. Alden Ehrenreich is actually rather good as a young Han Solo, and the action sequences are a lot of fun. The biggest problem is that Solo came with the expectations that it had to find as much box office success as one of the primary chapters in The Skywalker Saga. Plus, Solo seemed to get caught up in the aftermath of the division between fans following the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi six months earlier, so any excitement about Solo got lost in the shuffle of the heated debate about Rian Johnson's sequel.

Though Ron Howard's update on the status of a Solo sequel might be disappointing, it doesn't necessarily debunk another interesting rumor that popped up recently. Though it hasn't come from any reliable sources, there has been buzz about Donald Glover reprising his role as a young Lando Calrissian for a new Star Wars series on Disney+. That wouldn't technically be a Solo sequel, since it would be regarded as a TV spin-off. So the potential existence of that series is still on the table, though we haven't heard anything solid on that front yet.

We're not sure if the dangling threads of Solo will ever be picked up in a new Star Wars movie or series, but there's a whole plotline about Darth Maul, the crime syndicate Crimson Dawn, and Emilia Clarke's character Qi'ra that's just begging to be told. Perhaps a Disney+ series would allow them to tell that story without the pressure of raking in huge box office. It worked for The Mandalorian, so maybe it can work for Solo too (or Solo 2).