'Solo: A Star Wars Story' Sequel Gets Trailer, Several Characters Return

The anthology spinoff movie Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) is hardly one of the more memorable entries in the Star Wars franchise.

On the other hand, it didn’t set the fanbase on fire like other installments, such as the two sequel trilogy films, Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi (2017) and Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker (2019).

That’s just the theatrical side of things — Disney Star Wars has also been churning out some very low-quality content on the small screen over the past few years, too.

The Disney+ side of the faraway galaxy got off to a promising start with The Mandalorian back in 2019, but since then, it’s been disappointment after disappointment for many fans.

Related: ‘Star Wars’ Isn’t “Dead”, as New Project Confirms Return of Several Original Trilogy Characters

So, it wouldn’t be all that surprising if fans are now looking back at some of the more mediocre Star Wars installments, whether movie or television show, more favorably.

After all, we’re sure most people would take “down-the-middle” over divisive (the type of thing that cuts the fanbase down the middle) any day of the year.

While Solo: A Star Wars Story wasn’t a hit with fans or critics (or with the global box office for that matter — after grossing only $393.2M worldwide against a budget in the region of $300M, becoming the franchise’s first-ever “box office bomb”), it has been followed up with novels, comic books, and other tie-in media.

As for live action, the odds of seeing Alden Ehrenreich and Emilia Clarke reprise their roles as Han Solo and Qi’ra, respectively, ever again are slim at best (we know — never tell you the odds).

That said, Donald Glover is expected to reprise his role as Lando Calrissian in some capacity in the near future. Whether it’s in a Disney+ series or a film remains to be seen.

Now, it looks like the 2018 anthology film may not be an entirely “solo” outing after all.

Though not a sequel per se, the upcoming third-person open-world video game “Star Wars Outlaws” (2024), which takes place between Star Wars: Episode V — Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi (1983) — some 10 or so years later after Solo — has confirmed the return of a number of characters from the film.

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“Star Wars Outlaws” follows scoundrel, smuggler, bounty hunter, and outlaw Kay Vess (Humberly González) as she prepares to take on one massive heist so that she’s out of the game for good.

Naturally, given the game’s criminal underworld setting, players can expect to see all sorts of shady characters, including Tatooine crime lord Jabba the Hutt.

However, now, two brand-new trailers from the game’s developer Ubisoft have confirmed that at least two characters from Solo will be appearing in the game — in addition to the titular smuggler himself, who, sadly, will only appear in carbonized form in Jabba’s Palace.

The “Summer Game Fest” trailer below reveals that Lando Calrissian has returned (while the actor is yet to be confirmed, he sounds more like Billy Dee Williams than Donald Glover):

And, after months of speculation following an online rumor, the “Official Game Overview” trailer reveals that Qi’ra, Solo‘s Corellia-born street thief turned Crimson Dawn lieutenant, is in “Outlaws” (unfortunately, though, Emilia Clarke hasn’t reprised her role):

Related: All 14 ‘Star Wars’ Movies Ranked From Worst to Best

The open-world game might not be at all packaged as a sequel to Solo, but as it’s set within the seedy underbelly of the faraway galaxy, follows a smuggler whom the game’s developers have even admitted is inspired by Han Solo (she also has a furry companion), and features characters such as Qi’ra and Lando Calrissian, it’s the next best thing to an actual follow-up.

Whether or not any other characters from Solo will show up in “Outlaws” remains to be seen, but we’ll keep our fingers crossed for the most obvious cameo: Chewbacca.

“Star Wars Outlaws” will be released on PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S on August 30, 2024.

Are you excited about “Star Wars Outlaws”? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!