53 Amazing Facts About Solo: A Star Wars Story

Solo: A Star Wars Story is now officially available on digital home release, and to celebrate, co-writer Jon Kasdan has shared a document that reveals 53 random facts about the movie.

For anyone who is interesting in the filmmaking process, Kasdan’s candor provides a fascinating look at how the movie was made. There’s even a tease for a character that audiences will see in a future Star Wars project.

You can see all 53 random facts about Solo: Star Wars Story thanks to Kasdan’s post on Twitter. If you don’t have time to go through all 53, we’ve highlighted ten down below that were particularly interesting.

Note: LK is Lawrence Kasdan and C&P are Christopher Miller and Phil Lord, the co-directors who were fired from the movie deep into production.

• The Speeder Chase went through many, many iterations and included some cool ideas that didn’t fit in the movie. My favorite of these involved TIE-fighter cockpits, fresh off the assembly line and sans wings, rolling around like giant bowling balls and Han and Moloch dodging them. I wish we’d kept that.
• LK and I fought long and hard for Han’s stint and expulsion from the Imperial Academy. We felt it was crucial to see him train as a pilot. Ultimately though, it was always a hinderance to the flow of the story, which consistently felt like it didn’t really take off until Chewie arrived in the movie
• C&P had the idea that Chewie would be “the beast,” a punishment for disobedient soldiers (and I suppose droids) on Mimban. They also had the brilliant idea to have Han, at the crucial moment, speak Shyriiwook. The mud put it pure C&P and, for my money, it’s one of the best scenes in the movie.
• In retrospect, Thandie Newton may actually have been too good and too interesting as Val. It was always in the design of the story that Beckett would lose his trusted crew members during the Conveyex Job-gone-wrong and be forced to rely on newbies, Han and Chewie, and this would also open the door for Land, Qi’ra and L3 to join the crew, but Thandie is so compelling to watch that the death of her character feels a little like a cheat. It’s an odd and unexpected problem that comes with working with such amazing, compelling actors in the Star Wars universe. You just want more of them.
• Qi’ra casually references an Ithorian antiquities dealer named Dok-Ondar. Remember that name. You’ll see it again someday.
• There was debate surrounding how exactly Dryden would dispose of that unfortunate regional governor. Some of us really wanted him decapitated and we actually shot a version where a head rolls across the floor. Others felt that was a little too rough for Star Wars.
• Lando’s cape closet, another great idea that’s pure C&P. That scene was always meant to parallel the scene between Leia and Han in the avionics closet in Empire. We liked the idea of seeing Han in a similar situation, with a similar type of banter, but a very different partner, one who maybe teaches him a thing or two. The relationship between Han and Qi’ra was never intended to be concluded at the end of this movie. It’s a story I hope we get to tell more of someday ‘cause I like their diverging paths.
• The idea I most regret not shooting involved a creature C&P conceived called a WAPOTA, an elephant-like beast of burden, fitted with an enormous burrowing drill over its face for tunneling, that breaks loose of its restraints during the Kessel revolt and ends up chasing Han, Chewie and Sagwa as their (sp) escaping with the Coaxium. It was an incredibly slow chase that had some great banter between Han and Chewie but the sequence was cut in pre-production ‘cause of its cost. I fought long and hard to bring it back but to no avail.
• Does this movie work? I’m not the person to ask. But here’s what I think DOES work: the moment when Han jumps into the pilot’s seat of the Falcon for the first time. It’s directed beautifully, Alden nails every movement and look, and unless you’re actively resisting it, John Powell’s perfect cue will make your heat swell. That moment is as good as this movie gets in my opinion.
• Whether or not you were surprised by Beckett’s betrayal, it had a thematic inevitability to it. This moment was meant to rhyme with the moment in A New Hope when Han returns and saves Luke during the assault on the Death Star. In both movies, the older, cynical character reluctantly departs and then suddenly returns. With Beckett it’s a betrayal, with Han it reveals his heroic nature.

Solo: A Star Wars Story is available today on digital.