Please treat this warning with the same importance you would apply to reading a Star Wars crawl: This story contains HUGE SPOILERS for The Rise of Skywalker…
Now that the discourse dust is beginning to settle on Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, maybe we can focus on some of the more positive elements of J.J. Abrams saga ending blockbuster, like the return of Harrison Ford as Han Solo, a character the actor wanted killed off in Return of the Jedi, but had to wait until The Force Awakens to be offed in a Shakespearean level act of familial tragedy. Speaking to Vanity Fair, Abrams revealed what it took to get the franchise legend to return for one of TROS‘s most moving scenes.
Abrams said that he made a call to Ford telling him, “We want to have a scene in the film between Kylo Ren and his father, would you do it?” And he responded with “Okay”, before adding in what sounds like a manner so befitting of the actor, “It’s not more interesting!”
However, Abrams went on to explain that there was much more involved than that, revealing “We had a meeting and talked about what it would be. Harrison, who is one of the great people ever, and incredibly thoughtful about everything that he does, all he ever wants is to understand the utility of the character. ‘What is my role?’ It was about sitting with him and explaining what our intention was. We talked about it for quite a while, I sent him the pages. He got it, and of course, as you can see, he was wonderful.”
You can read the full Vanity Fair article here, in which Abrams speaks of the mirroring between Kylo Ren and Han Solo’s sequel trilogy scenes, and how it was integral getting the actor back to help trigger Ben Solo’s transformation. Let us know what you thought of Ford’s return using the comments section below, or head over to our Twitter page to continue the discussion…
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker sees J.J. Abrams (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) directing a cast that includes Star Wars veterans Daisy Ridley (Rey), Adam Driver (Kylo Ren), John Boyega (Finn), Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron), Lupita Nyong’o (Maz Kanata), Domhnall Gleeson (General Hux), Kelly Marie Tran (Rose Tico), Joonas Suotamo (Chewbacca), Billie Lourd (Lieutenant Connix), Greg Grunberg (Snap Wexley), Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian), Ian McDiarmid (Emperor Palpatine) and Carrie Fisher (Leia Organa) as well as new additions Naomi Ackie (Lady Macbeth), Richard E. Grant (Logan), Dominic Monaghan (Lost), and Keri Russell (The Americans).
Originally published December 30, 2019. Updated February 22, 2020.
