We know that Lucasfilm is at least developing a new trilogy of core films in the Star Wars saga, but longterm plans for the standalone anthology films are somewhat a mystery. We know they’re coming every other year beginning this year, but for how long? If this latest report is correct, it could be for quite some time.
Alden Ehrenreich, of the Coen brothers’ Hail, Caesar!, was recently tapped to portray young Han Solo in the second Star Wars Story from Phil Lord and Chris Miller. According to The New York Daily News, the studio wants to capitalize on the hype surrounding this character and is developing plans for three Han Solo films in total.
An insider is quoted as saying:
Image via 20th Century Fox
There is a real sense of excitement around the Han Solo movie and its potential. Given that Han’s early adventures do not need to be tied to the Empire, it leaves story lines open with the opportunity to really give fans something different. They can explore new galaxies and crazy creatures and bring in a wide array of new characters. They feel that his character has the right potential to become a central figure in several movies. They’re keeping things under wraps at the moment, but the deal is that he has signed for at least three movies.
Take this with a grain of salt for the time being, but given the popularity of Harrison Ford’s iteration of the character, it seems logical that Lucasfilm would want to keep the good times rolling. It also make sense that the studio would want to keep this under wraps for the time being because if the first Han Solo film doesn’t perform well at the box office, then they’d presumably not go through with continuations.
Rogue One will be the first true test as it’s the first anthology film. With a high enough box office return, even that could theoretically get a sequel, I suppose.
