2018 film by Ron Howard
Solo: A Star Wars Story is a 2018 American space Western film directed by Ron Howard and written by Jonathan and Lawrence Kasdan. Produced by Lucasfilm Ltd., and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the second Star Wars anthology film, following Rogue One (2016). The film stars Alden Ehrenreich as Han Solo, with Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover, Thandiwe Newton, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Joonas Suotamo, and Paul Bettany in supporting roles. The film tells the origin story of Han Solo and Chewbacca, who join a heist within the criminal underworld ten years prior to the events of the first Star Wars film (1977).
George Lucas began developing a Han Solo prequel in 2012 and commissioned Lawrence Kasdan to write the screenplay. After Lucas sold Lucasfilm to The Walt Disney Company in 2012, Kasdan was hired to write The Force Awakens (2015), leaving his son Jonathan to complete the Solo script. Principal photography began in January 2017 at Pinewood Studios, with directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Both were fired in June 2017 following creative differences with Lucasfilm, and Howard was hired as their replacement. Solo is one of the most expensive films ever made, with a budget of nearly $300 million.
Solo premiered in Los Angeles on May 10, 2018, and was released in North America on May 25. The film received mostly positive reviews from critics, who praised the cast (particularly Ehrenreich and Glover), visuals, score, and action sequences, but some criticized the storyline and screenplay. Despite this, it was the first Star Wars film to be a box-office bomb, grossing $393 million worldwide. It received a nomination for Best Visual Effects at the 91st Academy Awards.
Plot summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.