I was very impressed by Solo: A Star Wars Story, and I came away wishing to see a sequel made by Ron Howard following some of the events or storylines the film laid out. Howard captured the feel of Star Wars, and the actors gave terrific performances in their reprisals of classic characters.
And, of course, there was that major cameo which left audiences wondering what was next for Lucasfilm regarding this story – because, in the minds of many people, it was too big of a reveal to just be a simple cameo (spoilers for Solo are coming, so don’t read any further if you don’t want to hear about this).
Ron Howard has made it clear that it wasn’t a case of them planting hints for a sequel, however, but rather something they found very interesting and exciting. So while there aren’t any plans for a sequel, Howard has said it’s something he’d be very open to.
So keep in mind that nothing has been determined, no sequel is currently planned, and Howard doesn’t know what Lucasfilm is going to do moving forward with this story – but with all that said, Ron Howard has a really fantastic idea for a Star Wars movie.
Speaking with Empire Magazine for a podcast, Howard again reiterated that there are “no concrete plans” for a sequel but that there are questions remaining and fans are enthused, so it’s possible.
One possibility? An all-out war between the crime syndicates. Here’s what Howard said:
“Potentially one would think it might be kind of interesting to see what a war amongst the Syndicates looks like. There’s nothing concrete there, but that’s interesting territory. In what movie and through which character’s perspective that might emerge… I think everybody feels like that’s rich territory to explore in the movie universe.”
That right there is a really interesting pitch for a movie, and I think it’d be phenomenal. It could flow out as a natural sequel to Solo, though it wouldn’t necessarily have to focus on Han, Chewie, and Lando. Rather, they could play roles in the film while shifting the focus elsewhere, to some of the interesting plot lines established in Solo. Namely: that Maul is the head of Crimson Dawn. That’s one of the five crime syndicates, and we know the Pykes, the Hutts, and Black Sun are all major crime syndicates. The fifth one is much less clear, so perhaps that’s one that has yet to be revealed.
Springboarding on Howard’s idea for a moment, just imagine the story that could unfold in a film about the criminal underworld of the Star Wars galaxy fighting with each other. We know that Crimson Dawn and the Pykes have a fragile alliance at least, but we don’t exactly know the dynamic of all of these criminal organizations. Perhaps some event happens that is a catalyst for a war, however (which could be as simple as the Empire cracking down on criminal organizations, for instance), leading to a five-way war between the syndicates. This would, of course, give fans the chance to see Maul in action (and Qi’ra too!), leading the war for Crimson Dawn. Boba Fett could have a role working for Jabba the Hutt carrying out a mission, and Han and Chewie could appear working for Jabba but reluctant to carry out a mission against Crimson Dawn, since Han assumes Qi’ra is in charge. Through these storylines, perhaps there could be some closure to Han and Qi’ra’s relationship as Han realizes that she’s not who he thought she was and becomes even more the disillusioned smuggler we meet in A New Hope.
And if the movie wanted to get even more crazy, they could have something like Maul’s Crimson Dawn having success repelling Imperial crackdown teams and gaining an upper hand on the other syndicates… only for Palpatine to deduce who is leading the syndicate and send Darth Vader to eliminate Maul. That could give fans the Maul vs. Vader showdown they’ve been wanting (and which Rebels almost did). Maul would lose (obviously) and escape with his life, but Crimson Dawn would crumble. Having lost everything (and blaming the Sith for it this time), that would send Maul on a search for the Sith Temple on Malachor searching for a way to defeat Vader and Palpatine – only to be stranded there, which is where we meet him in Rebels.
That’s a possible way that this movie could work, but obviously there are a ton of different ways to tell a story with that general idea. Regardless, a film focusing on the criminal underworld – and a conflict between the syndicates, at that! – would be really cool, and it would also be a natural way to tie up some threads from Solo. It could serve as a sequel to that film, but not in the sense that many would think of it. An idea like that really excites me, and I hope that Ron Howard and Lucasfilm discuss it further and decide to explore it.
Star Wars Thoughts 