Before HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones’ ran its course, Emilia Clarke landed her first big role outside that franchise in 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story. In spite of being directed by Oscar winner Ron Howard, Solo proved to be arguably the franchise’s biggest box office failure. But now Jon Kasdan, one of Solo’s writers, says he’s confident Clarke’s character Qi’ra is on her way back to Star Wars.
Speaking to Screen Rant at the recent Star Wars Celebration, Kasdan said he’s confident some of the stories he helped begin in Solo will soon be addressed and expanded upon in upcoming Star Wars projects. “I think someday we’re gonna see what happened, and how Qi’ra sort of advanced through the world, through the crime syndicates,” Kasdan said of the character Emilia Clarke played in Solo. “I’ve talked to Jon Favreau about it, and he’s a big fan of [Solo] and some of the stuff we built out. And I said, ‘Well, you’re the guy to figure it out.’ I always look to him to keep the story alive and keep it going.” You can see the entire interview below.
In case you’ve forgotten; by the end of Solo, Emilia Clarke’s Qi’ra climbs the ranks of the crime syndicate Crimson Dawn, including having a famous brief conversation with Darth Maul. Considering the directions of many of Disney+’s most popular Star Wars series, Qi’ra would seem to have more than a few possible entry points into the newer stories. The various organized crime groups of the mythos have prominent places in both The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. Though Jon Kasdan sees another possible way for some of the characters he created in Solo to re-enter the story.
Kasdan told Screen Rant, “I saw that trailer for Andor today, and I thought, ‘Well, Enfys Nest is gonna show up somewhere in that show.’ So I’m hopeful that a lot of those people continue the journeys they were on.” Enfys Nest was the leader of resistance fighting Cloud-Riders, played by Erin Kellyman (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier). While there’s been no confirmation that Enfys Nest would appear — and Kellyman has been careful to dodge the question when asked directly — it would certainly make sense.
Then, of course, there’s Lando. We don’t know a lot about that series, and in fact Donald Glover has yet to publicly confirm his involvement, but it would be an obvious re-entry point for Emilia Clarke. With so many tailor-made ways for Qi’ra to return, plus Kasdan’s words on the matter, it seems like less of a question of if than of when.
Of course, there’s always the question of whether or not Emilia Clarke would be willing to return to the role, and all things considered it seems like there’s a good possibility. Last year, asked directly about whether or not she would return if given the chance, she didn’t give Digital Spy a direct answer but did emphasize she “loved” playing Qi’ra. -The Direct
