Jonathan Kasdan, one of the writers for the Star Wars film Solo, remarks on whether or not Emilia Clarke's character Qi'ra could return to the franchise. Solo was released in 2018 and acted as a prequel to Star Wars: A New Hope, with the film following the adventures of a young Han Solo. To date, Solo remains one of the most expensive films ever made, with a budget of at least $275 million. It was also the first film in the Star Wars franchise to bomb at the box office, only grossing $393.2 million, when the production needed to gross around $500 million just to break even. Solo was met with mixed reviews by audiences, with some of the highest praise going to Donald Glover's performance as Lando Calrissian, and Emilia Clarke's portrayal of new Star Wars character Qi'ra. Solo ended on a slight cliffhanger, with Qi'ra's fate unknown.
In an interview with THR, Kasdan says that he really doesn't know if there are any plans to resume the Solo universe. However, Kasdan says with Disney+'s massive Star Wars success, the streaming service might just be the key to exploring more of Qi'ra's story. Kasdan cites the Marvel Halloween special Werewolf by Night, saying the idea of a "short-form novella" is an intriguing one, and that that might be the best mode to adapt Qi'ra's story into. Read Kasdan's full comment below:
"I don’t honestly know. I’m always afraid to ask Kathy because she can see right through me. Despite all my resistance, she instantly sees right through me, and she can see my desire to tell more stories there. But in recent months, I have been intrigued by the wonderful Werewolf by Night as a potential form of storytelling on Disney+. So I would love to see Lucasfilm embrace a short-form novella version for telling some of their stories. That certainly seems like a place where future stories about those characters could live."
Disney+ Remains Star Wars' Best Path Forward
While the most recent film additions to the Star Wars universe have been hit-and-miss at the box office, as with Solo and The Rise of Skywalker, Disney+ has been the franchise's saving grace. The first-ever live-action Star Wars series to hit the platform was The Mandalorian in 2019, which will enter season 3 on March 1, 2023. The series saw massive viewership, with season 2 alone garnering 14.5 billion minutes viewed in 2020. The success of The Mandalorian encouraged Star Wars to pursue other live-action television series, such as Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Book of Boba Fett, and Andor, all of which have had similar success.
Along with the upcoming slate of Star Wars television series - Ahsoka, Skeleton Crew, and The Acolyte - was the December 2020 announcement that a Lando Calrissian series was in development. As of May, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said that the project was still in development and that there were discussions with Donald Glover to reprise his Solo role. Though Lando beat Qi'ra to a Disney+ series first, the success of Lando could indicate what the future of the Solo universe looks like.
What A Qi'ra Disney+ Show Could Look Like
Starting out as a childhood friend and paramour of Han Solo, Qi'ra became something of an antagonist at the end of Solo, revealing herself to be a student of Darth Maul. Qi'ra abandoned Han in favor of seeking Maul out on Dathomir, leaving her story something of a mystery. A Qi'ra Disney+ series could not only explore her time training with the Sith but also delve deeper into her time with Dryden Vos and Crimson Dawn. Though Solo certainly didn't perform to Disney's expectations, the film created a fascinating character in Qi'ra, and there is still hope that her story can be explored in a different medium.
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