![Solo: A Star Wars Story Solo: A Star Wars Story](https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/mobile/000/024/148/solo.jpg)
Solo: A Star Wars Story
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About
Solo: A Star Wars Story is the name of the standalone Star Wars prequel film based on the exploits of the a young Han Solo, a key character in the Star Wars mythology.
History
In July 2015, Following the acquisition of LucasFilm and announcement of new Star Wars standalone films that operated outside the main trilogies,[4] director J.J. Abrams and writer Lawrence Kasdan mentioned that a Han Solo film was on the way.[1] Shortly after on July 7th, Chris Lord and Phil Miller, the directors of The Lego Movie and 21 Jump Street were hired to direct the film.[2]
Two years later, on February 22nd, 2017, the official Star Wars Twitter [3] account posted a cast photo of Lord and Miller and the rest of the cast in the Millenium Falcon. The post (shown below) received more than 22,000 retweets and 37,000 likes in eight months.
![Tweet by the official Star Wars account of the whole cast of the Millenium Falcon for the movie Solo Tweet by the official Star Wars account of the whole cast of the Millenium Falcon for the movie Solo](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/305/137/7eb.jpg)
Director Replacement
On June 20th, Lord and Miller were abruptly fired from the film, citing creative differences with Lucasfilm.[5] The Hollywood Reporter, CNN Entertainment and Wired all claimed that sources close to the production said that it was due to differences in tone for the film, which clashed with those of screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan.[6][12][13]
That day, a series of comments from Lucasfilm-head Kathleen Kennedy and Lord and Miller were posted to StarWars.com.[7]
Kennedy stated:
“Phil Lord and Christopher Miller are talented filmmakers who have assembled an incredible cast and crew, but it’s become clear that we had different creative visions on this film, and we’ve decided to part ways. A new director will be announced soon."
Lord and Miller stated:
“Unfortunately, our vision and process weren’t aligned with our partners on this project. We normally aren’t fans of the phrase ‘creative differences’ but for once this cliché is true. We are really proud of the amazing and world-class work of our cast and crew."
Two days later, The Hollywood Reporter[8] announced that director Ron Howard would be stepping in for Lord and Miller, and several weeks of re-shoots had been added to the production. That day, Howard tweeted,[9] "I hope to honor the great work already done & help deliver on the promise of a Han Solo film." The post (shown below) received more than 2,600 retweets and 12,000 likes in four months.
![Ron Howard tweets out that he hopes to honor the work done thus far on the film upon taking over the role of Director mid production of the film Ron Howard tweets out that he hopes to honor the work done thus far on the film upon taking over the role of Director mid production of the film](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/305/146/741.jpg)
Title Announcement
On October 17th, 2017, Ron Howard tweeted[10] a video of himself announcing the completion of production on the film. He also shared the title of the film: Solo: A Star Wars Story. The tweet (shown below) received more than 16,000 retweets and 36,000 likes in less than 24 hours.
![Famous tweet that announced the completion of production, and birthed a meme Famous tweet that announced the completion of production, and birthed a meme](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/305/152/d43.jpg)
Movie Posters
On February 5th, 2018, LucasFilm released a promotional poster for the film in which Solo can be seen pointing a blaster gun (shown below).
![Movie Poster SOLO Hl MAY 25](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/354/304/bcf.jpg)
On March 16th, the film news blog MovieWeb[13] published an article titled "Han Solo Posters Lose the Guns," juxtaposing an earlier Solo poster featuring Solo wielding a blaster and Chewbacca holding a rifle juxtaposed with a new version with the weapons removed (shown below).
![Movie Poster with Blaster HAN SOLO HISTORIA DESTAR WARS SOLO EN CINES](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/354/307/ccf.jpg)
![Movie Poster Without Blaster HAN SOLO STAR WARS UMA HiSTORIA 24 DE MAIO NOS CINEMAS f /StarWars.Br /StarWarsBRA StarWarsBr](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/354/308/ed1.jpg)
On March 21st, Jack Posobiec tweeted the posters and referred to the film as “SJW Wars.”[14] In the coming days, posts mocking the new poster reached the front page of the /r/The_Donald[16] and /r/KotakuInAction[17] subreddits. On March 23rd, the film news blog Screen Rant published an article revealing that the updated posters were not for the United States release of the film but had been specifically created for audiences in Brazil.
Reception
On May 25th, 2018, Solo was released in theaters in the United States. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, [19] the film received a score of 69% (based on 252 reviews). The site's critical consensus said, "A flawed yet fun and fast-paced space adventure, Solo: A Star Wars Story should satisfy newcomers to the saga as well as longtime fans who check their expectations at the theater door." The review aggregator Metacritic[20] rated the film a score of 63 (based on 53 reviews). Additionally, the film received a positive "A-" Cinemascores rating, which polled moviegoers on opening night.
In preview screenings, the film received more than $14 million in box office gross.[21] The movie's weekend total was $83 million, which led some to call the film a "flop," meaning it is a failure at the box office.
On May 27th, Solo-director Ron Howard tweeted about the perception of the film's box office take. He said,[22] "Didn’t meet projections but amounts to a new personal best. check #SoloAStarWarsStory for balanced feedback & then C it on a big screen!" The post (shown below) received more than 640 retweets and 6,100 likes in two days.
![Didn’t meet projections but amounts to a new personal best. check #SoloAStarWarsStory for balanced feedback & then C it on a Ron Howard @RealRonHoward Didn't meet projections but amounts to a new personal best. check #SoloAStarWarsStory for balanced feedback & then C it on a big screen! JD_09 @Maltese_Falcon9 I heard the movie isn't soaring too high in the box office. Should I watch it today to help out? #soloastarwarsmovie](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/377/061/291.jpg)
Online Reaction
Online, people reacted positively to the film, with many tweets indicating that they found the movie fun and exciting. Twitter user @Fathergamer tweeted,[23] "Some of the biggest complaints to #SoloAStarWarsStory is that it adds nothing new to the series. The movie is essentially a biopic film about a character thats real in many of our hearts. I feel it did its job masterfully in filling the needed gaps and giving us a fantastic ride." The post (shown below, left) received more than 70 retweets and 670 likes in 24 hours.
Twitter user @XWINTERXSOLDIER tweeted[24] (shown below, center), "I went into #SoloAStarWarsStory expecting to hate it. I thought it was honestly an unneeded movie. I never thought I would get past Ehrenreich but I was wrong on both counts. Surprisingly good. A worthy addition to the canon and left me wanting more."
The Twitter[25] account SWRamblings defended the film's box office gross and the perception that the film was a flop. They tweeted, "Since everyone's tweeting about #SoloAStarWarsStory box office: It's Ron Howard's best opening weekend. Ant-Man didn't break 600 million. Doctor Strange only made 677 million. The highest of the new Star Trek's topped out at 467 million. Star Wars is just fine." The post (shown below, right) received more than 575 retweets and 2,500 likes in 48 hours.
![Some of the biggest complaints to #SoloAStarWarsStory is that it adds nothing new to the series. The movie is essentially a b Some of the biggest complaints to #SoloAStarWarsStoryA, is that it adds nothing new to the series. The movie is essentially a biopic film about a character thats real in many of our hearts. I feel it did its job masterfully in filling the needed gaps and giving us a fantastic ride.](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/377/064/b0a.png)
![I went into #SoloAStarWarsStory expecting to hate it. I thought it was honestly an unneeded movie. I never thought I would ge I went into #SoloAStarWarsStory expecting to hate it. I thought it was honestly an unneeded movie. I never thought I would get past Ehrenreich but was wrong on both counts. Surprisingly good. A worthy addition to the canon and left me wanting more](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/377/065/d7e.png)
![Since everyone's tweeting about #SoloAStarWarsStory box office: It's Ron Howard's best opening weekend. Ant-Man didn't brea Since everyone's tweeting about #SoloAStarWarsStory box office: It's Ron Howard's best opening weekend. Ant-Man didn't break 600 million. Doctor Strange "only* made 677 million. The highest of the new Star Trek's topped out at 467 million. Star Wars is just fine.](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/377/066/b93.png)
Related Memes
Title Card Photoshops
Shortly after Howard tweeted the video of him holding the title card of the film, people online began photoshopping different things onto the black card for humorous effect. Some commented with their negative opinion of the title, while others mentioned other Star Wars characters, like porgs (examples below).
Twitter[11] published a Moments page to feature some examples of the photoshops.
![Meme ready meme of Solo Star Wars announcement tweet after photoshopped Meme ready meme of Solo Star Wars announcement tweet after photoshopped](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/305/156/47c.png)
![Solo tweet meme joking that fans just want to see Porgs Solo tweet meme joking that fans just want to see Porgs](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/305/157/abe.png)
![Solo Star Wars meme with a OH NO implying it is going to be a disaster Solo Star Wars meme with a OH NO implying it is going to be a disaster](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/305/159/b9b.png)
Search Interest
External References
[1] IndieWire – Watch: 32-Minute Talk With J.J. Abrams And Lawrence Kasdan About ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ And More
[2] StarWars.com (via Wayback Machine) – CHRISTOPHER MILLER AND PHIL LORD TO HELM HAN SOLO ANTHOLOGY FILM
[3] Twitter – @StarWars' Tweet
[4] Variety – ‘Star Wars’: The ‘Sky’s the Limit’ for Disney’s Spinoff Opportunities
[5] Variety – ‘Star Wars’ Han Solo Spinoff: Lord & Miller Fired After Clashing With Kathleen Kennedy
[6] The Hollywood Reporter – 'Star Wars': Why the Han Solo Film Directors Were Fired
[7] Star Wars – A MESSAGE FROM LUCASFILM REGARDING THE UNTITLED HAN SOLO FILM
[8] The Hollwood Reporter – Ron Howard Steps in to Direct Han Solo Movie
[9] Twitter – @RealRonHoward's Tweet
[10] Twitter – @RealRonHoward's Tweet
[11] Twitter – Solo: A Star Wars Story blasts off into the world of memes
[12] CNN Entertainment – Han Solo 'Star Wars' film loses its directors during production
[13] Wired – SORRY, HAN SOLO, STAR WARS DON'T NEED NO STINKING DIRECTORS
[13] MovieWeb – Latest Han Solo Posters Lose the Guns
[14] Twitter – @JackPosobiec
[15] Reddit (via Wayback Machine) – /r/The_Donald
[16] Reddit (via Wayback Machine) – /r/The_Donald
[17] Reddit – /r/KotakuInAction
[18] ScreenRant – A Star Wars Story Posters Are Missing Blasters
[19] Rotten Tomatoes – Solo: A Star Wars Story
[20] Metacritic – Solo: A Star Wars Story Reviews
[21] Box Office Mojo – 'Solo: A Star Wars Story' Ready to Top Memorial Day Weekend Box Office
[22] Twitter – @RealRonHoward's Tweet
[23] Twitter – @Fathergamer's Tweet
[24] Twitter – @XWINTERXSOLDIER's Tweet
[25] Twitter – @SWRamblings's Tweet
Top Comments
Particle Mare
Mar 24, 2018 at 11:23AM EDT
Youyou Meme
Mar 24, 2018 at 10:34AM EDT