As Solo: A Star Wars Story creeps ever closer towards its May 25 release date, why have we still not seen a trailer?
As a Twitter account pops up making fun of the huge delay, let’s take a look at five scenarios that could explain the long wait…
1. The film is bad
This is the conclusion a lot of fans will have already jumped to – especially given the change in directors. If the movie really isn’t up there with the rest of the LucasFilm saga, then bosses may want to hold back on the fanfare and keep the publicity a little more low-key. And if it’s apparent from even the trailer that things are amiss… well, what’s the point in letting fans know?
2. The film is still recovering from production delays
We already know that production on Solo has been turbulent, given the switch of directors – so it could be that things are still just running behind schedule. But here’s the thing: the release date has never changed. Throughout all the doubts, all the changes, all the rumours of further drama, the date of impact has been stuck firmly on May 25. So if there are still some issues behind-the-scenes, it’s curious that the movie hasn’t been delayed as well as the trailer.
3. The film is great
Of course one perfectly feasible possibility is that the film is an absolute slam-dunk, and the trailer hasn’t been released yet because… well, bosses just don’t need to. You could make a case for it being so good that there’s o point in rushing out a promo reel, when they could just sit back and wait for the early reviews to come in and word-of-mouth to do its thing. Why splash millions of dollars on marketing when the bar is lower for an anthology story anyway, and they know it can deliver?
4. The film is… passable
Given the divisive reaction to The Last Jedi, Kathy Kennedy et al must know that some of the die-hard fans will be particularly anxious over Solo: A Star Wars Story. So let’s say the film is neither terrible nor triumphant. Let’s say it’s… fine. In which case, why not let us sit here worrying that it’s a disaster? That way, when we finally do get a trailer, and it looks perfectly serviceable, the relief amongst fans might go very much in its favour.
5. The film is STILL in The Last Jedi’s shadow
Star Wars: The Last Jedi has been out for over a month now and is beginning to disappear from many cinemas around the world (not least in China). It may be that the plan was always to leave it a solid month, at least, before starting to fire up the engine for Solo. Will February be the time to do it?
Whatever the case, it seems we can still bank on Solo: A Star Wars Story coming out on May 25.