Imagine a movie featuring a young Han Solo, Zorii Bliss from The Rise of Skywalker, and Kawlan Roken from Obi-Wan Kenobi that is produced by the original directors for Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Unfortunately, this is not the next Star Wars movie, but all the aforementioned talent were involved in making the new movie Cocaine Bear, a story in which a bear ingests a significant amount of cocaine and goes on a violent rampage.
Cocaine Bear is produced by original Solo directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller. Instead of a young Han Solo, Alden Ehrenreich plays Eddie, the son of drug kingpin Syd White who is played by the late Ray Liotta.
O’Shea Jackson Jr. plays Daveed, a fixer who is hired to recover the remaining cocaine, and travels with Ehrenreich’s character to try and get the job done. Unlike her time as Zorii Bliss, Keri Russell’s face isn’t covered by a helmet, as she plays Sari, a nurse and mother who must contend with the violent bear to try and save her daughter.
Being involved in the same movie was only the beginning of the Star Wars reunion. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Ehrenreich shared how Lord and Miller surprised him on set:
"“But one of the most special days was my first day. I did the scene in the bar, and [Phil] Lord and [Chris] Miller, who I’d worked with in the past [on Solo], were there. I didn’t know they were going to be there for my first scene in Ireland, and so they surprised me. We stood in this little corner in Ireland, with the rain coming down, and we were on a set together again. So that felt like a homecoming of sorts.”"
It is heartwarming to hear about this Solo reunion and how much it meant to Ehrenreich. However, it was not the only time Star Wars was on the mind during the filming of Cocaine Bear. Ehrenreich was asked in the same interview if Jackson ever discussed with him how he had scenes with Han’s future wife Leia in Obi-Wan Kenobi. Here’s what Ehrenreich said:
"“He would talk about that. I don’t have a great grasp on the whole universe that’s come after mine at this point, but yeah, he was into it. And Keri is in Star Wars [The Rise of Skywalker], too. It was a real Star Wars alum situation.”"
There is something undeniably fun about there being discussions of Leia, Han, and connections between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Solo occurring naturally on set while Cocaine Bear was being made.
As more Star Wars movies and television series continue to be made, there will inevitably be more projects that reunite various Star Wars talent, but this one feels particularly special to hear about, especially for Solo fans.
Cocaine Bear is currently playing in theaters. Watch Solo, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and The Rise of Skywalker on Disney+.