Han Solo star Harrison Ford shares verdict on Alden Ehrenreich in Solo: A Star Wars Story
The new film charts the character's formative years as a pilot in a galaxy far far away
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Let's be honest: aside from the big dogs at Lucasfilm, including George Lucas and Kathleen Kennedy, the only person you would hope loves the Han Solo spin-off film you've made is the character's original star, Harrison Ford.
The American actor played the rogue pilot in the original Star Wars trilogy and returned for The Force Awakens in 2015. This new prequel, titled Solo, depicts the events leading up to Lucas' 1977 original starring Alden Ehrenreich as a younger incarnation of the character.
In a tell-all interview with Variety, director Ron Howard reveals that Ford has seen the film twice and “adores” it.
“I had never heard Harrison effusive about anything, and he was raving about it,“ Howard commented, adding that ‘Alden [had] nailed it and "made it his own."
While Ford's positive reaction is perhaps not too surprising considering Disney reportedly paid him up to $34 million to return for Episode VII, this news will come as a sigh of relief to all involved following the tumultuous events which led to Howard's employment; he replaced original filmmakers Phil Lord and Chris Miller who were let go by Disney and ended up directing 70 per cent of the film.
An anonymous source, when asked about the events leading up to Lord and Miller's departure, said: “In their minds, Phil and Chris were hired to make a movie that was unexpected and would take a risk, not something that would just service the fans. They wanted it to be fresh, new, emotional, surprising and unique.
“These guys looked at Han as a maverick, so they wanted to make a movie about a maverick. But at every turn, when they went to take a risk, it was met with a no.”
Speaking about his decision to accept Kennedy's offer to direct, Howard added: “It was more inviting for me, in a way, because it’s not a sequel. It uses a familiar character and is true to the spirit of ‘Star Wars’ movies and the galaxy, but it’s a single adventure story about this guy and the relationships that are going to shape his destiny and the challenges that are going to test him along the way.”
Solo: A Star Wars Story is released in cinemas on 24 May
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments