It seems only last week that The Last Jedi was filling up both cinemas and merchandising shelves, and here we are with another Star Wars movie doing the same. But bringing out these films in such quick succession is no easy task for Lucasfilm, requiring strenuous work from countless creatives. Concept artists and character designers are essential in bringing new worlds and characters to life, and The Art of Solo aims to shine a light on their process.
Highlighting new elements of the galaxy’s criminal underworld, Solo required much more diversity of design than the previous Disney Star Wars movies, and so it’s fascinating to see how these designs came together and unused versions of what’s on screen. For example, we get to see various alien incarnations of crime lord Dryden Vos, from before the filmmakers had a rethink and just put Paul Bettany in a fancy suit.
In addition, a lot of the art is gorgeous in its own right; the vibrant, colourful paintings of the Kessel Run sequence, in which Han pilots the Millennium Falcon through a dangerous space anomaly, would look great hung on your wall.
The book isn’t just a collection of images, though, as Phil Szostak’s commentary, incorporating interviews with production designer Neil Lamont, design supervisor James Clyne, and screenwriter Jon Kasdan, digs into the process behind all the designs. There’s a lot to learn about the creative process, from where influences were taken (given that Solo is set ten years before the late ‘70s-produced A New Hope, there’s a lot of talk of the films and culture of the late ‘60s) to how they incorporated the tropes of the Western (and how Han’s journey through the film is seen as a mirror of the American frontiersmen going west).
There is one striking omission from this commentary, though. Solo’s production was notoriously troublesome, with the directors being replaced mid-shoot, and this is never mentioned. While it’s understandable that Lucasfilm may want to distance themselves from the problems, it’s undoubtable that production reshuffles led to many design changes, such as the recasting of Dryden Vos, and it’s a shame we don’t get any insight into this. There are also a few odd errors, such as Tobias Beckett being referred to several times as Mattias.
But these faults don’t take away from the beauty of the artwork, the creativity of the designs, or the numerable insights into what was clearly a tough creative process. Well recommended for Star Wars and design fans alike.
THE ART OF SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY / AUTHOR: PHIL SZOSTAK / PUBLISHER: ABRAMS / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
