Fans use ‘Star Wars’ anniversary to ask for ‘Solo’ sequel

LOS ANGELES, May 27 — It wasn't just Episode IV that celebrated a Star Wars birthday on May 25.

On the occasion of May 25, the entire Star Wars franchise celebrated its 42nd anniversary.

But 1977’s iconic Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope wasn’t necessarily fans’ sole focus over the weekend; 2016’s less well received prequel, Solo: A Star Wars Story, marked two years since its debut on the very same day.

That’s where the MakeSolo2Happen hashtag comes in.

Partway through production, the project transitioned from Phil Lord and Christopher Miller of The Lego Movie and the Jump Street remakes to Ron Howard of A Beautiful Mind and The Da Vinci Code.

Upon release, it was the sixth most-expensive film ever made (Avengers: Endgame has since knocked it down to seventh), with a production budget of around US$275 million.

Once box office returns came in, it emerged as the Star Wars franchise’s worst-performing entry, making US$393 million. With marketing spends taken into account, Solo was considered a flop.

Yet the franchise prequel set itself up for continuation, thanks in part to a surprise and largely unresolved appearance for legacy character Darth Maul.

Just as importantly, the film has accumulated a fresh cohort of appreciative fans since arriving on streaming services in early 2019.

Even so, as recently as March, the movie’s co-writer Jon Kasdan cautioned that a sequel would be unlikely, even if only for scheduling reasons. — AFP-Relaxnews