ESPN's 'Free Solo' docu trends, 'Star Wars' fans think it's about Han Solo's rescue in 'Return of the Jedi'

On June 12, 'Free Solo' began trending. Not knowing what it's about, many 'Star Wars' fans assumed it had something to do with Han Solo and the time he was freed from the clutches of Jabba the Hutt
Harrison Ford (IMDb)
Harrison Ford (IMDb)

You know how almost every Twitter trend eventually becomes about 'Star Wars'? Well, in the late hours of June 12, 'Free Solo' began trending on Twitter. Not knowing what it's about, many 'Star Wars' fans assumed it had something to do with Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and that time he was freed from the clutches of Jabba the Hutt in 'Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi'.

"Is Free Solo trending because everyone is watching the original trilogy?" One curious fan asked while another tweeted, "'Free Solo' was the alternate title of #StarWars Return of the Jedi, right?"

So what is 'Free Solo', you ask? It's a documentary about rock climber Alex Honnold and his quest to perform a free solo climb of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. It's a pretty grueling story that has received multiple awards including Best Documentary Feature at the 91st Academy Awards. 

Turns out, ESPN was airing the documentary at 9 pm ET on June 12 and that's where the trend started. Obviously, as the topic gained traction on Twitter, things just got more and more hilarious.

"I really thought this Free Solo movie on ESPN tonight was ESPN finally out of nothing and Disney stepping in to promo some new Star Wars movie," one fan wrote.

"My husband’s watching Free Solo and today I learned that it’s not a documentary about Star Wars," another fan tweeted.

One of the more extreme fans wrote, "Free Solo is the name of Kylo Ren's and Rey's child that all those weird Reylo fans wrote on their Wattpad fanfics."

"I'm watching 'Free Solo' on ESPN and I need someone to tell me where this fits in the 'Star Wars' canon," another fan joked. "I assumed it was after Han was frozen in carbonite but apparently not."

All kidding aside, 'Free Solo' is a great watch and you should check it out if you get the chance. As this one fan put it, "If you’re looking for a departure from all the horribleness - watch Free Solo at 9 on @ESPN. It might be the single most amazing athletic achievement of all time. You won’t believe you’re eyes."

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