The reviews are out for Solo: A Star Wars Story, and they’re … uh, OK? (For perspective, Rogue One scored higher on Rotten Tomatoes than the Han Solo origin story.) Mostly, though, the reviews don't matter; the movie is still likely to make a fortune. But while you’re considering what you’re going to be wearing while tamping down expectations on opening night, consider that the Star Wars will continue for years, then read below for all that is yet to come.
The Source: An anonymous source on Reddit
Probability of Accuracy: There are all kinds of reasons to think this is fake. And yet…
The Real Deal: This one definitely belongs in the "It’s probably not true, but maybe it’s a little true…?" category. Someone on Reddit is claiming this is the plot of Star Wars: Episode IX. There’s a lot about this that seems suspect, right up to and including the very idea that someone would leak the plot of what is one of the most guarded movies in production right now on Reddit. Oh, and there's also the fact that this plot features Leia heavily, despite Carrie Fisher's tragic death in 2016. Beyond that, some of the things mentioned in the leak track with current speculation about the movie's story. For one, it notes that it takes place five years after Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which would jibe with John Boyega’s recent disclosure that he had to grow his hair out for the film. Other details, however, make little to no sense ... like Rey having a child that may or may not be the product of an affair with Kylo Ren. The whole thing is worth reading, even if just for the “What the hell?” of it all, but don’t put too much faith in the idea that it’s actually what’s going to happen in the next installment.
The Source: Official Lucasfilm announcement
Probability of Accuracy: This is 100 percent real and happening.
The Real Deal: For years, many fans have considered the Millennium Falcon to be as much a character in the Star Wars mythology as R2-D2, C-3PO, or BB-8. Now, it seems, Lucasfilm Publishing agrees with them. This fall the publishing house will release a new series of stories called Flight of the Falcon. It’s a series of books and comics that will trace the history of everyone’s favorite hunk of junk from before Solo through the era of the current trilogy, launching with an illustrated novel called Star Wars: Lando's Luck by Justine Ireland and Annie Wu, with future books already planned including Star Wars: Pirate's Price—a Han and Chewie story—and A Luke and Leia Adventure, which will see the two steal the Falcon for a top secret mission. If we don’t get at least one Nien Nunb story by the time this series is finished, we're going to be mad.
The Source: Showrunner Jon Favreau
Probability of Accuracy: Unless Favreau has his timeline mixed up, this would seem to be legit.
The Real Deal: It’s still some time away, but Jon Favreau has started sharing details about his forthcoming live-action Star Wars TV show. In a recent interview with Nerdist, the director explained that the show will be set "seven years after the Battle of Yavin," which—for those without a Star Wars calendar handy—means that it's set three years after Return of the Jedi. The period between the original trilogy and the new trilogy is one that has been mostly ignored by ancillary material beyond a handful of projects, with Star Wars Story movies and Star Wars: Rebels filling in the space between the prequels and the original trilogy, and the majority of Marvel’s comics taking place during the original trilogy. Sure, there have been things like the Aftermath novels and the Poe Dameron comics set during the period, but between Favreau's new show and the recently announced Star Wars Resistance animated series, it looks as if Lucasfilm is shifting focus away from long distance nostalgia to something almost contemporary.
The Source: Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy … kind of
Probability of Accuracy: It’s complicated, but let’s go with "Don’t believe the hype."
The Real Deal: Speaking at the Cannes Film Festival after the premiere of Solo: A Star Wars Story, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy appeared to tell Premiere France what the people really wanted to hear. "We think that the next spin-off will be dedicated to Lando Calrissian," she said. “Of course, there are still many stories to tell about Han and Chewbacca, but Lando will be next." Given that Donald Glover’s performance as the charming rogue has been hailed by almost all critics as the highpoint of Solo—so much so that he’s arguably been leaned upon more to promote the movie than its leading man, Alden Ehrenreich—this was not just not a surprise, it was pretty much a no-brainer. The only problem being, it was also a mistake. Lucasfilm told io9 that the quote was mistranslated, and that Kennedy actually "said it’s something she’d like to do one day in the future." So near, yet so far.
The Source: An anonymous source writing to a fan site
Probability of Accuracy: If nothing else, this tracks with a rumor that’s been around for a long time, so let’s go with "better than 50/50."
The Real Deal: There's a long-running rumor that Lucasfilm has been planning an Obi-Wan Kenobi movie, but according to fan site Fantha Tracks, the rumor is about to become a reality. An—obviously—anonymous source reports that concept artists, story boarders, and prop modelers are already working on the movie, with contracts being sent to crew members and a plan in place to begin filming next April. Wishful thinking or something more concrete? It’s likely to remain unclear until an official announcement, but it’s worth remembering that Stephen Daldry has been in talks about the project for months now, apparently.
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