Hey Lucasfilm, Treating 'Star Wars: Episode IX' As A "Course Correction" After 'Solo' Is A Bad Idea

Over the weekend, it was revealed that J.J. Abrams, the man behind “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and the upcoming “Star Wars: Episode IX,” among many, many other projects, is on the hunt for what’s being dubbed a “mega-deal.” This deal would give Abrams a guaranteed number of films with a studio, as well as encompass his work with TV series, digital content, games, music, theme parks, and consumer products. So yeah, he’s looking to cash out in a big way. However, buried in this Variety report is something that caught our eye.

The report says:

“He’s currently working on ‘Star Wars: Episode IX,’ which has been billed as a course correction at Lucasfilm after spinoff films like ‘Solo’ failed to meet the label’s high commercial expectations. He enjoys a close relationship with [Disney CEO Bob] Iger.”

According to Variety, Disney/Lucasfilm are looking to the upcoming ‘Episode IX,’ which sees Abrams take over after writer-director Rian Johnson apparently angered fans with ‘The Last Jedi,’ to somehow be a “course correction.” This begs the question — how can the ending of a new trilogy of films somehow fix the problems that were inherent in ‘Solo?’ Breaking it down more, learning from the perceived mistakes of ‘Solo,’ is J.J. Abrams really the guy that Lucasfilm should look to as the franchise’s savior?

First things first, let’s take a look at the idea of fixing the problems created by ‘Solo’ with ‘Episode IX.’ On a pure surface level, this idea seems backward and illogical. It’s like saying Marvel Studios should use “Avengers 4” to fix the flaws of “Thor: The Dark World.” It just doesn’t make sense.

But the spirit of the comment seems to point at something that has been floating around the film news universe for months now — Lucasfilm is figuring out what went wrong with ‘Solo’ and wants to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Much like ‘The Force Awakens’ attempted to wash the bad taste that the Prequel Trilogy left in the mouth of fans, the studio hopes ‘Episode IX’ can be a similar palette cleanser to the perceived failure of ‘The Last Jedi’ (which still made well over a billion dollars despite fan outcry) and the box office/critical flop that is ‘Solo.’

That being said, the problems of ‘Solo,’ that led to mixed critical reception and franchise-low box office totals, aren’t something that ‘Episode IX’ can really fix. It’s not Abrams’ fault that Lucasfilm decided to release the spin-off film a mere 5 months after ‘The Last Jedi.’ It’s also not ‘Episode IX’s’ responsibility to somehow make people forget that Kathleen Kennedy booted previous directors Lord and Miller in favor of Ron Howard, who re-shot almost three-quarters of ‘Solo.’ And finally, it’s not fair to expect a new “Star Wars” film to somehow make people forget that ‘Solo’ just wasn’t very good, filled with gratuitous amounts of fan service (explaining the origin of the character’s name, his gun, his relationship with Chewie, the Kessel Run, the bet that won the Millennium Falcon, etc…) and a paint-by-numbers plot.

This leads to the major flaw in Kennedy and Lucasfilm’s “course correction” plan — J.J. Abrams.

We’re not going to sit here and say that Abrams is bad filmmaker. While he’s maybe not everyone’s cup of tea, the director has proven to be a competent and profitable addition to a project (thus the “mega-deal”). But if you’re trying to capture lightning in a bottle again, after the record-breaking success of ‘The Force Awakens,’ Abrams probably isn’t your guy and ‘Episode IX’ isn’t the right film.

No matter what you think of ‘The Force Awakens,’ the film’s meteoric success is the result of many factors. The fact that the film is the first sequel to ‘Return of the Jedi’ after three decades certainly helped. Also, Disney marketed the hell out of the film, which was the first live-action “Star Wars” film of any kind in 10 years. The fact that Abrams crafted an enjoyable popcorn film that was immensely rewatchable was just icing on the cake. Thus, it’s not crazy to assume that no matter who helmed ‘The Force Awakens,’ it would have been a monumental success.

So, that leaves us to take a look at ‘The Force Awakens’ and why one could argue the film seems to be the reason the problems of ‘Solo’ even exist. You think the fan service and sloppy plot of ‘Solo’ were anomalies? Look at ‘The Force Awakens.’ The film is basically a retelling of ‘A New Hope,’ but with a new shiny paint job. If the nostalgia of ‘Solo’ irked you, it all started with what Abrams did with his 2015 “Star Wars” film. Much like the success of early MCU films created a de facto blueprint for how successful Marvel Studios films should be made, Abrams created a similar blueprint with ‘The Force Awakens,’ at least in the eyes of Lucasfilm.

Leaning heavily on nostalgia (Remember the Millennium Falcon? Remember Han Solo and Princess Leia?), familiar plots (kid on a desert planet dreaming of more, droid carrying secret plans, another Death Star, etc…), and shameless fan service (“Chewie, we’re home.”), ‘The Force Awakens’ basically gave ‘Solo’ masterminds Ron Howard, Lawrence Kasdan, and Kathleen Kennedy all the ingredients for what fans seemingly want in a “Star Wars” film. Except, they failed to realize that only works for a re-introduction to the franchise, not sequels and spin-offs.

If Lucasfilm, Kennedy, and Abrams think that fans want all those ingredients in ‘Episode IX,’ then they’re woefully mistaken. And that’s exactly why Abrams probably isn’t your guy to “course correct” the franchise. There’s validity in the argument that Rian Johnson might have taken the franchise too far to the other side of the spectrum, focusing only on new ideas and, in effect, attempting to destroy nostalgia in the process. But swinging the pendulum back to ‘The Force Awakens’ side of things for ‘Episode IX’ is not going to make it any better.

If a “course correction” is what Lucasfilm wants, then just present fans with a great film that finishes this new trilogy and puts a bow on the Skywalker Saga in a fun, but new, way. Don’t be too focused on ‘Solo’ and its failures, and don’t focus on the success of ‘The Force Awakens.’ That’s only going to make a bigger mess. And the Internet might not be able to take another controversial “Star Wars” film.

“Star Wars: Episode IX” hits theaters December 20, 2019.