The Jedi Council: Star Wars Anthology — Who is Your Perfect Casting for Young Han Solo?
With the recent news that the second Star Wars Anthology film would be all about Han Solo and his origins (with a possible cameo by Boba Fett), the Star Wars fanbase has been atwitter with who would be the perfect casting for young Han. So, with that in mind, our Jedi Council digs in and comes up with our own personal “Dream-casting” for the role. Who is yours?
Razor: When thinking on all the best choices for a young Han Solo casting, some pretty big named actors come to mind. Aaron Paul seems to be an internet favorite, and while I personally love Paul, I just don’t see him shaking his Jesse Pinkman persona. I kind of feel like every line he would recite in a Han Solo movie would end with the word “bitch!” Having said all that, I would not be mad if he was given the role. Do I think he will be attached to a future Star Wars movie in some way? Yes. Aaron Paul has the acting chops to pull off a space pirate/smuggler, or heck, even an early sidekick to Han, before Chewie came into the picture.
On our Facebook page, we asked who you guys thought would make a great young Han Solo, and a lot of you thought that Clint Eastwood’s son, Scott, would be the perfect under the radar actor to fill that role. He certainly has the rough-around-the-edges look that a young Han should have. And, his acting pedigree is beyond reproach…I mean come on, Clint Eastwood is his dad. My only concern is, I don’t think Scott has the necessary experience to pull off a solo (pardon the terrible pun…yes it was intentional) staring role in a movie all about the character he would be portraying.
Also, I don’t think Chris Pratt would be a good Han, I mean, let’s allow him to be Indiana Jones, or continue his great work as Star Lord in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, but let’s let someone else try their hand at a Harrison Ford role without immediately going to “OMG CHRIS PRATT FOR EVERYTHING!” I would like to point out, however, that I love Chris Pratt and his special brand of comedy and wit would be a perfect fit for young Han Solo…dammit, stop lulling me in with your dreamy looks and witty banter Chris Pratt!
Jai Courtney is Charlie in JACK REACHER, from Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions.
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For me, the perfect choice for a young Han Solo is none other than actor Jai Courtney. He has the look, he has the acting chops and experience, and he’s no stranger to the Sci-Fi genre (see Divergent and Terminator Genisys). There’s also the fact that Courtney has a pretty solid resume, in regards to his acting career. Not many people know that his big break came in the form of the blonde curly headed gladiator Varro, in the critically acclaimed blood-bath series that was Spartacus.
Kyle Warnke: I don’t envy Lord and Miller or their future casting director for this movie. How do you approach arguably the most difficult casting job in history: find an actor to represent one of the most iconic character/actor marriages of all time?
To make the job easier, I would go for a relatively unknown star to sidestep any audience perceptions of an actor’s range. That means no Chris Pratts or Pines. This Han Solo will be built from the ground up.
But going beyond that, you have to figure out what Han Solo is like before he meets up with an old man and a farmboy in a dinky Mos Eisley cantina. You probably have to go back even further, before he made the Kessel Run, or even met his hairy co-pilot Chewie.
The Han we meet in A New Hope is so cool, you can tell he feels like he really doesn’t belong in the movie, and neither does Harrison Ford. Ford has had a rocky relationship with the franchise, which appears to have taken a new turn based on his Comic-Con appearance. Although in past years it had gotten kind of tiresome how much he distanced himself from the role, early on, his arrogance played perfectly into his portrayal of the smuggler. It was that attitude of, “I can’t stand this crap. So I’m just gonna be the coolest person here.”
The Han Solo origin movie will likely explain how Han became that way, requiring an actor who can summon a steely toughness while still selling the Corellian’s early vulnerability. That’s why my pick is Joe Dempsie, most famous for his role as Gendry on HBO’s Game of Thrones. On the show, Dempsie does a fine job of conveying his character’s naivete and trusting nature, while also exhibiting a bit of a dashing, adventurous side. It’s that combination of youthful innocence and grown-up swagger that will be the key balance to strike with this character, and it seems like a feat Dempsie could pull off.
Joe Prescott: Hmmmm. Who could/should play Han Solo. A tough one, a question worthy of a good debate with like-minded individuals (read: fellow nerds). We all come up with our dream cast for different movies and characters and the recent run of comic book based movies has given us a good foundation for how important casting is for such treasured and revered characters when they hit the big screen. Good choices are tremendous when they get it right (Robert Downey Jrs’ Tony Stark springs immediately to mind) and can spell huge success for the studios whilst simultaneously appeasing the die-hard fans. Bad choices can spell the end of franchises altogether (Green Lantern, not so much a bad choice as just a bad movie IMO) so casting must tread lightly when faced with important decisions.
Modern actresses and actors are fortunate enough to have basic blueprints to feed from with these pop culture roles due to their pre-established roots and characterisation. The role of Han Solo is certainly no easy feat to pull off in a way that will make people happy, but as beloved as he is it shouldn’t be too tricky for an actor worth his salt. It is a character we always want to see more of and one that can hold his own in a stand-alone piece for sure, so let’s look at some of the requirements/necessities for our favourite smuggler:
– Handsome and suave, but always willing to bend the rules. Han doesn’t rely too much on his looks, he just knows what he wants and gets it with a cheeky smile, always running from his foes once he’s swindled them.
– Unruly and slightly clumsy, his constant tinkering with the Falcon and ham-fisted yet effective fighting skills means he isn’t too clever, just haphazardly gets along with help from Chewie of course.
– Brave, bold and begrudgingly loyal, his flying capabilities and willingness to lay it all on the line for his allies means his intentions can be swayed from selfishness and short-term gain.
So for him to be portrayed, we need someone who can bring the lovable scoundrel into his own story and remain captivating, but possibly showing an edge of sensitivity in the character as well. We all get excited when we hear of certain actresses and actors taking the parts of familiar characters on-screen, so wouldn’t it feel great to get that same swell of joy when we hear of the casting of Han. I have my favourite actors that I’d like to see wear the Corellian bloodstripes, so based on the character of Han and how I feel it could be presented for the future of the franchise I’d have to go for a slightly controversial choice, one that might not stick so well with fans if it became reality: Robert Pattinson.
No, I haven’t seen Twilight, and I don’t intend to, but Cosmopolis was tremendous and so was Water for Elephants. His dark and brooding portrayals can easily be tamed with lighter fare if needs be and he is a great actor really, regardless of how Sparkly he is. I’m not just choosing him as he is a fellow Brit, but as a worthy contender for adopting Han Solo for the newer generations who can recognise him from his previous pop culture roles and accessible image, and he can bring that level of playful swashbuckling and romanticism to Han Solo whilst being able to possibly showcase a darker edge, as surely Han has a checkered past. So forgive my slightly leftfield choice, but this would work for me, and again I haven’t seen Twilight so I’m NOT basing my reasoning on this! #denial
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