Solo: A Star Wars Story

Solo: A Star Wars Story is a 2018 American space Western film centering on the Star Wars character Han Solo. Directed by Ron Howard, produced by Lucasfilm, and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the second Star Wars anthology film, following Rogue One (2016). Alden Ehrenreich stars as Solo, with Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover, Thandiwe Newton, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Joonas Suotamo, and Paul Bettany. 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 A New Hope. 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 at least $275 million. Solo was released in North America on May 25, 2018. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, which praised the cast (particularly Ehrenreich and Glover), visuals, score, and action sequences, while some criticized the storyline and screenplay. It became the first Star Wars film to be a box office bomb, only grossing $393.2 million worldwide. It received a nomination for Best Visual Effects at the 91st Academy Awards.