Welcome back to the Holonet Blast: our weekly look at the news from a Galaxy Far, Far Away.
Solo Toys debut– and they are glorious!
Hasbro debuted the 6” Black series figures featuring the characters from Solo: A Star Wars Story this week at New York Toy Fair. Figures of Han Solo featuring Alden Ehrenreich’s likeness, the Imperial Range Trooper, and Emilia Clarke’s Qi’ra have all been met with enthusiasm, but it’s Donald Glover’s likeness as Lando Calrissian—complete with billowing cape and raised eyebrow—that seems to be stealing the show. The toys are set to hit the market in advance of the film’s May 25th release date.
Ron Howard once again tweets hints to Solo
Once again, news from the making of Solo: A Star Wars Story comes to us in the form of a tweet from director Ron Howard. This week it was the news that Jon Favreau is joining the cast as the voice of “a very cool & important alien character”. It remains to be seen who the character is and what they add to the story, but Favreau’s addition to the cast is surely an exciting development.
More new Star Wars toys to include comic book and animated favorites
In additional news from New York Toy Fair, the Star Wars toy line is getting more than just the few Solo: A Star Wars Story figures previously unveiled. Other characters from Solo, including Woody Harrelson’s Tobias Beckett and the Mimban Stormtrooper, are coming to the Black Series line as well as Princess Leia in her Hoth kit from The Empire Strikes Back, Admiral Holdo from The Last Jedi, and other familiar characters including Commander Wolffe from both The Clone Wars and Rebels.
The 3.75” Vintage Collection is getting additions from Solo, The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and Rogue One, as well as a figure of Dr. Aphra from Marvel’s Star Wars Comic Books (a favorite of ours here at Tosche Station!).
A “lights and sound” Millennium Falcon (in its Solo: a Star Wars Story trim), new blasters, the “Ultimate Co-Pilot” interactive plush Chewbacca, and several toys compatible with Force Link 2.0 were also announced.
For those of us who enjoy the added lore and fleshed-out backstories provided by Star Wars books, this week’s Solo: A Star Wars Story announcements were nothing short of giddy-making. In addition to the usual offerings of creative non-fiction, this week’s announcements included some buzz-worthy novels and comics. D.J. Older’s adult fiction novel Last Shot will take readers on an adventure spanning decades and will take us adventuring with Han and Lando both as the young scoundrels we will see in Solo and the old friends we know from The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Rae Carson’s YA novel Most Wanted will take us deeper into Han Solo’s youth, his relationship with shadowy Qi’ra, and his hardscrabble life on the streets of Corellia. Joining the novels is the Lando: Double or Nothing comic mini series, a middle reader book featuring Chewbacca, a series of stories in the Star Wars Adventures comics, and the Little Golden Book I am a Wookiee.
Keep your eyes on Tosche Station for release dates and reviews of all the Solo tie-in reading.
