LOS ANGELES: Lucasfilm brought the biggest party in the galaxy to Hollywood on Thursday as rapt devotees gathered under the Millennium Falcon for the world premiere of the latest “Star Wars” spin-off.
“Solo: A Star Wars Story,” which gets its US release on May 25, tells the coming-of-age tale of smuggler Han Solo before he was the galaxy’s most adored scoundrel.
The glittering array of stars in Hollywood Boulevard included cast members Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover, Thandie Newton and Paul Bettany.
“One of my favorite movies growing up was ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.’ I think this movie has a little bit of the fun of that film,” said Ehrenreich, who plays Solo, on the red carpet.
Hollywood’s A-list — “Star Wars” alumni or otherwise — turned out for the second in the “anthology” series of spin-off films that started in 2016 with “Rogue One.”
Among them were Mark Hamill, Ewan McGregor, Sofia Vergara, Alexandra Daddario, Benjamin Bratt and Johnny Knoxville.
The Disney-owned Lucasfilm delighted fans in April with a sneak peak of one of the most hotly-anticipated scenes from the movie, the first meeting between the young Solo and Glover’s Lando Calrissian.
“A very slow week, but hopefully it will speed up as soon this movie comes out,” joked Glover, whose rap alter ego Childish Gambino has racked up a record-breaking 70 million YouTube views in just four days with his latest single “This is America.”
Glover said the best thing about playing Lando was the fans, who began recognizing him as the galaxy’s sexiest gambler the very day he was announced for the part, when he went for a pizza.
The trailers have also offered a glimpse of the pivotal moment in “Star Wars” lore when Han beats Lando in a card game to win the Millennium Falcon starship, a full-size version of which was constructed for the premiere.
“Everything about this movie is getting you ready for what you already know,” said Emilia Clarke — Daenerys Targaryen on HBO’s “Game of Thrones” — who plays Qi’ra, Solo’s friend since childhood.
“And I think that the way that we get there is satisfying.”
The movie, which comes just five months after “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” has endured a journey to screen that has been bumpier than the Falcon completing the Kessel Run.
Oscar-winning filmmaker Ron Howard was brought in last year to replace sacked directing duo Phil Lord and Chris Miller.
The pair behind the acclaimed “The LEGO Movie” and “21 Jump Street,” were dropped after clashing with Lucasfilm chief Kathleen Kennedy and writer Lawrence Kasdan, according to reports.
“This is showmanship at its best and it’s what ‘Star Wars’ fans deserve, this kind of excitement. But I’m also really glad that we worked very hard to make this release date,” said Howard.
“It was a big challenge. The movie was not compromised one bit and I’m so glad because it really feels like a summer movie to me.”
Solo’s Wookiee companion Chewbacca is played by six-foot 10 inch (2.08-meter) Finnish basketballer Joonas Suotamo who took over from Peter Mayhew, starting with “The Force Awakens” (2015).
“I just approached it as another adventure happening at a different time in Chewbacca’s life,” Suotamo said.
“It was interesting to approach this time when Chewbacca doesn’t know Han, he doesn’t know all these people, he’s in a really bad spot and he’s looking for a way out.”
Experts are predicting an opening weekend domestic box office of around $137 million, some way short of the $155 million recouped by “Rogue One” and a figure dwarfed by Marvel twice already this year.
Hollywood glitters as ‘Star Wars’ stages ‘Solo’ premiere
Hollywood glitters as ‘Star Wars’ stages ‘Solo’ premiere
- “Solo: A Star Wars Story” tells the coming-of-age tale of smuggler Han Solo before he was the galaxy’s most adored scoundrel
- Oscar- filmmaker Ron Howard was brought in last year to replace directing duo Phil Lord and Chris Miller.
Living Pyramid to bloom beyond Desert X AlUla
ALULA: Desert X AlUla officially closed on Feb. 28, but one of its most striking installations — the Living Pyramid —will continue to flourish.
Tucked away within a lush oasis surrounded by ancient rock formations, Agnes Denes’ creation fuses art and nature, offering a living testament to resilience and connection.
Through her current rendition of The Living Pyramid for Desert X AlUla 2026, Denes seeks connection, likening it to bees constructing a new hive after disaster.
The pyramid structure is teeming with indigenous plants, forming layered patterns that echo the surrounding desert landscape.
It blends harmoniously with the rocky backdrop while proudly standing apart.
“There is no specific order for the plants other than not to place larger plants on the very top of the pyramid and increase the number of smaller plants up there,” Iwona Blazwick, lead curator at Wadi AlFann in AlUla, told Arab News.
Native plants cascading down the pyramid include Aerva javanica, Leptadenia pyrotechnica, Lycium shawii, Moringa peregrina, Panicum turgidum, Pennisetum divisum, Periploca aphylla and Retama raetam.
Aromatic and flowering species such as Thymbra nabateorum, Rhanterium epapposum, wild mint, wild thyme, Portulaca oleracea, tamarisk shrubs, Achillea fragrantissima, Lavandula pubescens, Salvia rosmarinus, and Ruta graveolens form distinct layers, adding color, texture and subtle fragrance to the pyramid.
“Each Living Pyramid is different. The environment is different, the people are different. I’m very interested in the different societies that come together on something so simple,” Denes said in a statement.
“Connection is what’s important; connection is what the world needs. I keep comparing us to a lost beehive or an anthill. And I wrote a little poem: This. And this is. Bee cries out. Abandon the hive. Abandon the hive,” she said.
Denes was born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1931 and is now based in New York. While the 95-year-old has not made it physically to the site in Saudi Arabia, she designed this structure to cater to the native plants of the area.
Her Living Pyramid series has certainly taken on reincarnations over the past decade.
It debuted at Socrates Sculpture Park in New York in 2015, was recreated in Germany in 2017, appeared in Türkiye in 2022, and then London in 2023.
In 2025, she showcased a version at Desert X 2025 in Palm Springs, California, and Luxembourg City.
Most recently, in 2026, at Desert X AlUla.
While officially part of Desert X AlUla, the Living Pyramid stands apart and is housed separately, a short drive away from the other art works.
“The (Living Pyramid) artwork will stay for around a year, to showcase a full year’s effect on the plants throughout the different seasons,” Blazwick said.
After the year is up, it won’t go down. The plants will continue its metamorphosis beyond the pyramid.
“The plants will be replanted and will have a new home within an environment that will suit their needs,” Blazwick concluded.
