50 Fun Facts About Solo: a Star Wars Story

Who ended up directing Solo after its original directors were dismissed?

Howard had turned down the chance to direct The Phantom Menace years earlier.

Which screenwriter's son Jonathan finished the Solo script while he worked on The Force Awakens?

Lucas had commissioned the elder Kasdan to write a Han Solo prequel in 2012, before the Disney sale.

Which directing duo was fired from Solo in June 2017?

They believed they were hired to make a comedy; Lucasfilm wanted only a comedic touch.

In which year was Solo released?

It arrived just five months after The Last Jedi, which analysts blamed for franchise fatigue.

Who plays the young Han?

Over 3,000 actors were seen for the part, which Chris Miller called one of the hardest casting challenges ever.

Who plays the young Lando Calrissian?

Critics said his Lando outshone the title character; Billy Dee Williams called him brilliant.

Which Game of Thrones star plays Han's childhood friend Qi'ra?

Clarke signed on for future instalments, though no sequel was ever made.

Who plays Han's mentor Tobias Beckett?

Bale had earlier been in discussions for the part.

Who voices Lando's droid co-pilot L3-37?

She wore a costume on set and was erased in post-production to leave the droid's innards.

Who plays the scarred crime lord Dryden Vos?

Bettany texted Howard to ask for a part and was flying to London two weeks later.

Which actor was originally cast as Dryden Vos before the reshoots?

His version was a motion-capture alien he described as half mountain lion, half human.

On which planet do orphans Han and Qi'ra grow up?

They belong to a gang run by the serpent-like Lady Proxima.

What is the name of the starship fuel at the centre of the heists?

Enfys Nest gives Han one vial of it at the end, enough to buy his own ship.

On which muddy planet is Han serving as an infantryman when he meets Beckett?

He had been expelled from the Imperial Flight Academy for insubordination.

Who leads the Cloud Riders, the pirates who wreck the first heist?

They turn out to be rebels striking at the syndicates and the Empire.

Which crime syndicate does Dryden Vos serve?

Its true leader is revealed in the final minutes to be Maul.

From which planet's mines does the crew steal unrefined fuel?

L3-37 starts a slave revolt there while the others grab the shipment.

Han killing Beckett deliberately echoes which moment from the 1977 film?

The writers confirmed the callback to the Mos Eisley cantina moment.

Who is revealed as Dryden's superior at the end of the film?

Ray Park returned to play him, with Sam Witwer providing the voice.

Who provides the voice of Maul in the film?

Witwer had voiced him in The Clone Wars and Rebels; Serafinowicz's recorded lines were dropped for continuity.

Maul orders Qi'ra to meet him on which planet?

Dathomir is Maul's homeworld, the planet of the Nightsisters.

Han is given the surname Solo when he joins what?

He enlists as a flight cadet to escape Corellia after Qi'ra is captured.

On which planet does the damaged Falcon land to process the stolen fuel?

It is there that Enfys reveals her crew are rebels and Lando deserts in the Falcon.

On which snowy planet does the failed train heist take place?

Beckett's partner Val and the pilot Rio both die in the attempt.

Tobias Beckett was based on which literary character?

Jon Kasdan also cited Unforgiven, Heat and The Big Lebowski as influences.

Under what working title did filming begin at Pinewood in January 2017?

Red Cup is a nod to Solo cups, the American party staple.

What was the film's internal codename during development?

It was originally meant to follow The Force Awakens, before Rogue One took that slot.

Location filming in May 2017 took place in which Italian mountain range?

Sites included Tre Cime di Lavaredo and Monte Piana in Veneto.

Which island group also hosted filming in May 2017?

Rogue One and The Last Jedi also used Spanish and Atlantic island locations.

Roughly what was the film's production budget?

Reports said it needed around $600 million worldwide to break even.

Roughly how much did Solo gross worldwide?

That made it the first Star Wars film to be a box-office bomb.

Who composed the film's score?

He wrote it straight after finishing Ferdinand, weaving in a new Han theme by John Williams.

What is the title of John Williams's new Han Solo theme written for the film?

Williams combined two pieces written in December 2017 to create it.

Which Mandalorian creator voices the pilot Rio Durant?

Rio is the four-armed Ardennian on Beckett's crew.

Who voices the serpent-like gang boss Lady Proxima?

Hunt won an Oscar for The Year of Living Dangerously.

Who was the film's cinematographer?

Young had shot Arrival and Selma; his dark look divided audiences.

The replacement director had acted for George Lucas in which film?

He later directed Willow, which Lucas produced.

Which Star Wars film had the replacement director earlier turned down?

Lucas ended up directing the prequels himself.

Which character is played by the replacement director's brother Clint?

Clint Howard appears in nearly all of his brother's films.

Warwick Davis reprises which Episode I character as a Cloud Rider?

Weazel was a gambler in the podrace crowd in The Phantom Menace.

How much did Solo make in its three-day US opening weekend?

It was the lowest Star Wars debut since Attack of the Clones, though a career high for Howard.

Who wrote the film's expanded-edition novelization?

Its epilogue has Enfys deliver the coaxium to Saw Gerrera and Jyn Erso.

Glover said he imagined a Lando spin-off as which film in space?

A Lando Disney+ series was announced in 2020 and later reworked as a feature film idea.

What hashtag did fans use to campaign for a sequel?

The campaign reached Ron Howard, who said a sequel was up to the fans.

Which actor had been in discussions to play Beckett before Harrelson was cast?

Fans briefly speculated Harrelson was playing the Legends character Garris Shrike.

Which future Aquaman villain was a finalist for Lando?

ASAP Rocky also auditioned for the part.

How many film ideas did Lucas present to Kasdan in 2012?

They included the sequel trilogy and spin-offs; the Han Solo story inspired Kasdan most.

How does Han finally beat Lando in their rematch for the Falcon?

Lando had cheated with the same card to win their first game.

For which Academy Award was Solo nominated?

It was the film's only nomination at the 91st Academy Awards.

Who plays the masked leader of the Cloud Riders?

Kellyman later played Karli Morgenthau in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.