A "Solo" trailer at last!
Tuesday, April 10, 2018 at 9:00AM 
Chris here. We've got only a month or so before we finally feast our eyes on the much reported troubled production of Solo: A Star Wars Story. Was Ron Howard able to steer the film to safety after original directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller notoriously clashed with Lucasfilm brass? Depending on which reports you believe, Howard either completely reshot the entire script or just the major set pieces. Whether the final product succeeds, expect the "who shot what" discussion to continue into Star Wars lore like "Han shot first".
Adding to the concern has been a lack of footage to pore over, but await no longer for a full trailer is finally here! While the delayed glimpse at what is in store hasn't done much in the way of damage control, the actual trailer doesn't quite help either. We're served a mishmash of murky imagery and what looks to be an overadherence to formula, particularly in its character lineup. If you can already sense there are too many cooks in the kitchen from this short assemblage, it might be time to believe the worst. Doesn't it feel like the titular hero (and our beloved Alden Ehrenreich who plays him) is being backgrounded? Shouldn't our heart race immediately at the sight of the Millennium Falcon?
But the trailer isn't without its highlights: Donald Glover being sexy in space, ample capes, Woody Harrelson being weird again, and whatever it is that Thandie Newton is doing (but speechlessly so? Why?!). And thanks to Fleabag, we still couldn't be any more excited for whatever Phoebe Waller-Bridge's android brings. For now, we wait nervously on the rest...
Reader Comments (8)
The doom and gloom all over the production is such overdramatic nonsense. Rogue One was an production nightmare, and that turned out just fine. Guess what else had a terrible production? The original Star Wars.
Just sit back and watch the film and base it off it's value as a film, not the stories of how it was made.
I think it looks OK! And, the more I think about the troubled production, the more sympathetic I am to the finished product.
And Donald Glover looks...more than OK!
I'm in.
"Titanic" also had a troubled production, and history seems to have okay'ed that movie.
I think it looks flashy and fun.
This gives me nostalgic feels for Chewbacca more than anything.
Alden Ehrenreich might be great... but from this trailer, I am more engaged in the idea of finding out more Chewie's backstory. The Hans Solo side is hooking me less.
I'm seeing it for Donald Glover.
This one had all those worrisome stories of them needing to bring in an acting coach for Alden, yes?
That is what i'm most worried about. He has GARGANTUAN shoes to fill and he's just coming across bland in this. He could kill the film.
I'm going to run right out and see this as soon as it opens, so I can enjoy watching Alden Ehrenreich before all the reaction commentary is in full swing. He's a brilliant original actor that I hope to watch for the next few decades.
From what I read, Alden was doing 25 takes of every scene, and asked for an acting coach as an outside observer who could help him keep track of the through line of the character.
That is a professional attitude that puts the welfare of the entire production before concerns of whether it would make him "look bad".
"Murky" is the word! Everything's so desaturated!
Doesn't look bad, but doesn't look especially good either...perhaps it'll be a fun watch at home this Christmas.