There were a lot of reasons to be excited for ‘The Force Awakens’ prior to the film’s late 2015 release. A new ‘Star Wars’ film? A return (more or less) to the beloved territory of the original trilogy? You name it. But from the moment the first trailer hit, it was the return of Harrison Ford as Han Solo that often seemed to overshadow the rest.
While much of that excitement was due simply to the affection that generations of fans have for the character, some of it also has to be credited to Ford’s longstanding ambivalence toward Han Solo and ‘Star Wars’ alike, to say nothing of the fact that he famously lobbied for Han to be killed off in ‘Return of the Jedi’. Between all of that and the fact that Han actually was killed in his latest return to the screen, it would seem a safe bet that Ford has finally put ‘Star Wars’ behind him. But in a recent ‘GQ’ profile, the man himself seemed to suggest that it may not be so cut and dry after all.
The profile, published as the cover story of this month’s issue of ‘GQ’, saw Ford address (albeit in a customarily laconic manner) everything from his love of aviation to the upcoming ‘Blade Runner 2049’. And in such a wide ranging interview, it was virtually inevitable that ‘Star Wars’ would come up sooner or later. Asked whether or not he is “absolutely, incontrovertibly finished with ‘Star Wars’,” Ford’s response was that he is “finished with ‘Star Wars’ if ‘Star Wars’ is finished with me.” So what if ‘Star Wars’ isn’t finished with him? The actor added “I can’t imagine it. But it is science fiction.” The ‘GQ’ piece then includes the following exchange:
He pauses and considers what he has just said, maybe realizing that he is leaving the door a little further ajar than he means to.
“I’d rather not,” he concludes. “You know, at this point, I’d rather do something else. Just because it’s more interesting to do something new.”
Now, given that Han’s death in ‘The Force Awakens’ is clearly meant to serve as a turning point for Kylo Ren and was presented about as definitive as these things get, it’s a fairly safe bet that we won’t be seeing the scruffy nerf herder turn up in ‘Episode IX’. But, to borrow a sentiment from another storied franchise, “there are always possibilities.” In this case, those possibilities could manifest as anything from a post-‘Return of the Jedi’ anthology film to a framing narrative for the upcoming Han Solo spinoff. After all, he did it for Indy. Realistically, these are all long shots, but despite his insistence that he’d be more interested in doing something new, Ford nonetheless seems unwilling to completely close the door on Han Solo.
If Harrison Ford were to play Han Solo again, what form would you like to see that take? Let us know in the comments and be sure to check back with ScienceFiction.com for more ‘Star Wars’ content as we gear up for the December 15th release of ‘The Last Jedi’.
