Don’t count out everyone’s favorite smuggler quite yet.
Alright, we’re going to come clean with you guys. We were as thrilled as anyone that not only is Han Solo returning for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but that he’d also be a main character. But it’s no secret that Harrison Ford has been… shall we say… critical of the franchise as a whole. In fact, there was some doubt after The Empire Strikes Back that he would return for a third outing with the character. When he did, Ford lobbied hard to have the character die by the film’s end.
So, when we heard he’d be coming back in such a large capacity for a new Star Wars film, we honestly thought that meant Han Solo would be killed off. But, if a new report from Wired is to be believed… that may not be the case.
What did Wired say?
Well, the article itself is mainly about how Benecio Del Toro seems locked for his role in Episode VIII. But they also site other actors (and by extension, their characters) are going to be returning as well:
“The source also indicates cast from J.J. Abrams’ upcoming The Force Awakens will return for Episode VIII, including newcomers John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, and Oscar Isaac, and Star Wars veterans Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford.”
So, if this report is to be believed… Han Solo is going to be sticking around.
Doesn’t that kind of break Star Wars tradition?
In a way, it very much does. Another one of the reasons we expected Han Solo to die was because it seemed, by default, he would be filling the role of the older mentor figure in the film. After all, Qui-Gon fell to Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace and Obi-Wan sacrificed himself to Darth Vader in A New Hope… so we kinda thought Han Solo would go down to another red lightsaber — most likely from Kylo Ren.
Could Luke be the one who dies?
Nope. Mark Hamill is confirmed to be currently shooting scenes for Episode VIII. So, he’s safe in The Force Awakens… unless it’s for his Force ghost or something.
Anything else worth mentioning?
Yes. This is our first real piece of information saying that Daisy Ridley and her character Rey will be returning for Episode VIII. While we never seriously doubted she would return, her character has been conspicuously absent from a lot of hearsay regarding the film.
If you’re eager for more information about Star Wars: Episode VIII, check out our comprehensive and up to date FAQ. There’s plenty more interesting info about the movie out there, with plenty more to come as it gets closer to shooting.
