Harrison Ford Turned Down Han Solo Role

eldavojohn writes "It's being widely reported that Harrison Ford turned down a £20 million deal to play Han Solo once again in a George Lucas spin off of Star Wars. The source of this information seems to be a tabloid called bangshowbiz. Harrison was approached by Lucas with two roles but instead opted for the same amount to play Indiana Jones for the fourth time. Could the spin off centered on the rugged Han Solo save the Star Wars franchise from its prequels or would it have been another mediocre release disappointing demanding fans?"

Good

[shrike99 (100287)]

Good for him, at least he knows his limits and marketablity. Now for a few Hundred posts on 'how old he is', and 'he'll sprain his back' or more such silliness.

Re:Good

[Divebus (860563)]

Hey, I'll do it for half that much. Call my cell, George.

Re:Good

[Crash McBang (551190)]

Poser.

The appropriate response is "Have your people call my people".

Re:Good

[Plaid Phantom (818438)]

And the Web 2.0 response is "Post a comment on my blog.".

Re:Good

[mrchaotica (681592)]

You realize he does want to play Indiana Jones again, don't you? Indiana Jones is no less youthful or athletic than Han Solo. If he can do one, he can equally well do the other!

Re:Good

[monoqlith (610041)]

Not to mention Indiana Jones is a much more physically demanding role, assuming the movie isn't just about Dr. Jones becoming a crotchety, washed up academic.

Re:Good

[SirWinston (54399)]

> Not to mention Indiana Jones is a much more physically demanding role,
> assuming the movie isn't just about Dr. Jones becoming a crotchety,
> washed up academic.

Potential titles for another Indy trilogy:

Raiders of the Lost Dentures
Indiana Jones and the Hemorrhoid Cream of Doom
Indiana Jones and the Last Bran Muffin

Raiders of the Girls Old Enough to be Their Granddaughters
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Erectile Dysfunction
Indiana Jones and the Little Blue Pill

Raiders of the Shuffleboard Deck
Indiana Jones and the Broken Hip of Doom
Indiana Jones and the Budget Mobility Scooter

Re:Good

[Harmonious Botch (921977)]

He couldn't face being stuck in a spaceship with an 8-ft tall alien who refuses to wear pants.

Re:Good

[by Anonymous Coward]

When modding, if I read 'funny', I mod 'insightful' to give karma.

"When modding, I abuse the moderation system."

There, fixed that for ya.

Re:Good

[Blondie-Wan (559212)]

Well, not only that, but Harrison has always seen potential in the Indy character for more than just the action heroics; the character's development in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles bears this out. Indy can work as a purely dramatic character even in a non-action-oriented movie. Ford apparently sees Han as more dramatically limited by comparison, and feels he's fully explored the character already. Many years ago (late '80s or early '90s), an interviewer asked Ford if there was "any talk" of a new Star Wars movie, and Ford replied, "not in my house."

The article summary is slightly wrong, incidentally (so what else is new?). Ford has already played Indy a fourth time (in the "bookends" wraparound segments for a Young Indy two-parter, "Young Indiana Jones and the Mystery of the Blues"). For that matter, he's also played Han Solo four times already, too (the second time being in The Star Wars Holiday Special).

Re:Good

[Noexit (107629)]

Wow. You have _got_ to be fun at a party.

The Real Problem: Harrison Ford or George Lucas?

[reporter (666905)]

I am more concerned about George Lucas than I am about Harrison Ford. Though Ford is quite old, a good writer and a good director can cast him into the right milieu so that his talent shines on the big screen.

Therein lies the danger. Star Wars I, II, and III suggest that Star Wars IV was just a stroke of luck for Lucas. He is a poor storyteller and could easily cast Ford into the wrong kind of story. Ford's career would then end in a wimper. Of course, I would waste my $10 on Star War VII.

Ford made the right decision.

Re:The Real Problem: Harrison Ford or George Lucas

[soft_guy (534437)]

George Lucas was a brilliant filmmaker on two films: Star Wars IV and American Graffiti. He had the good sense *not to direct* Episode V and VI, which is why they turned out so well in spite of how hokey Ewoks are.

Marsha Lucus (George's ex-wife) was the one with the talent - she edited his films so that they weren't shit. The two of them split up right after the third Star Wars movie in the 80s. She didn't work on Episode I, II, or III - that's why they are shit.

Re:The Real Problem: Harrison Ford or George Lucas

[KillerCow (213458)]

Marsha Lucus (George's ex-wife) was the one with the talent - she edited his films so that they weren't shit.

It's always about Marcia!

Marcia! Marcia! Marcia!

Re:The Real Problem: Harrison Ford or George Lucas

[lysergic.acid (845423)]

weren't episodes 1-3 written before 4-6? i don't think storytelling is the problem. i think the problem was anakin skywalker and jar-jar binks. in all other respects, the newer movies were decent. firstly, a story centered around a little kid is naturally not as interesting (for most 16+ audiences) as an older character--which is why episode I, while a decent movie, doesn't live up to episode IV-VI. And then there's that douchebag who plays anakin in episodes I & II. He's just a shitty actor. I mean, c'mon, Natalie Portman, Samuel L. Jackson, and Ewan McGregor were all in the cast, and they hire a lamo for the leading role. Throw in Jar-jar binks and the whole franchise is ruined forever...

Re:The Real Problem: Harrison Ford or George Lucas

[Yvanhoe (564877)]

weren't episodes 1-3 written before 4-6?
Probably not written. He may have had a vague idea of the general story, but he wouldn't have made such incoherences : Obi'wan doesn't know C3PO or R2D2 in 'New Hope', he doesn't know that Luke has a sister before Yoda tells him. Also, the six episodes just "don't work" together. The "I am your father", which is quite a dramatic climax in the original serie doesn't work anymore if you watch Starwars in the correct order.

Re:The Real Problem: Harrison Ford or George Lucas

[Scarletdown (886459)]

he doesn't know that Luke has a sister before Yoda tells him.

Are you are referring to that little exchange between Obi-Wan's ghost and Yoda in ESB right after Luke left Dagobah?

Ben: That boy is our last hope.
Yoda: No. There is another.

I figure that a way to reconcile that with Ben's knowledge from ROTS would be to assume that Ben knew about Leia, but for one reason or another, he simply didn't feel that she would be up to the task of becoming a Jedi and overthrowing Vader and the Emperor.

Now, how about when the Obi-Wan ghost appeared to Luke on Hoth and told him to go to Dagobah though?

Ben: You will go to the Dagobah system. There you will learn from Yoda, the Jedi Master who instructed me.

I think that was a rather big oversight on the part of Lucas, considering the Jedi Master who instructed Ben was Qui-Gonn, not Yoda. That one might be a little more difficult to explain away.

Re:Good

[Bacon Bits (926911)]

Actually, that's not it at all.

I saw an interview with him around about the time of the Star Wars: A New Hope re-release. He was asked if he would ever consider reprising the role of Han Solo. He said, no. He said he didn't like the character of Han at all. When asked if he would consider playing Indiana Jones again, his immediate response was "In a second".

Ford like Jones and doesn't like Solo. It's as simple as that. He has the luxury of being able to pick his roles.

Re:Good

[flyingsquid (813711)]

He was asked if he would ever consider reprising the role of Han Solo. He said, no. He said he didn't like the character of Han at all. When asked if he would consider playing Indiana Jones again, his immediate response was "In a second". Ford like Jones and doesn't like Solo. It's as simple as that. He has the luxury of being able to pick his roles.

I don't get it. Why can't George Lucas just digitally remaster things so Harrison Ford agrees to play Han Solo?

Re:Good

[Digital Vomit (891734)]

Or, better yet, make Ford ask Lucas for the role of Han Solo first.

you tell me...

[macadamia_harold (947445)]

Could the spin off centered on the rugged Han Solo save the Star Wars franchise from its prequels or would it have been another mediocre release disappointing demanding fans?

Given that Lucas most likely would have partnered Han with a squadron of Jar Jar's children and a midget in a monkey constume, I think that questions answers itself.

Star Wars 7

[Coucho (1039182)]

Revenge of the damn kid who is always on my lawn!

HAN SHOT FIRST

[by Anonymous Coward]

HAN SHOT FIRST

Re:HAN SHOT FIRST

[the real darkskye (723822)]

If there is only one shot, how can someone shoot first?

Thank god he declined

[Freaky Spook (811861)]

I don't want to see Han Solo's great character trashed by a bad script and the over-use of special effects.

Lucas helped kill my vision of the star wars universe with the prequals, I will never watch another Star Wars thing he does again.

Re:Thank god he declined

[EonBlueTooL (974478)]

I think I speak for all star wars fans when I say "What prequels."

Does it matter?

[RichPowers (998637)]

Lucasfilm would have to apply so many effects to the aging Harrison Ford that they might as well computer generate him from the get-go :P

Would they have to pay to do that?

[NotQuiteReal (608241)]

If they did an entirely CG Han Solo, would they have to pay Harrison Ford anything? I mean it would be "Ford's likeness", but the "Han Character" is what they would be depicting...

Re:Would they have to pay to do that?

[robogun (466062)]

Though Han Solo belongs to Lucasfilm, Harison Ford's face still belongs to him.

If a reasonable person were to view the CGI character and identify it as Harrison Ford, and the filmmaker had not secured prior permission from Ford for the use of his likeness, then Ford would have grounds for a right-of-publicity action against the filmmakers.

Re:Would they have to pay to do that?

[Firehed (942385)]

Not to mention the voice. While I seem to remember the new computer-generated voice in Leopard from the WWDC preview sounding pretty realistic, it wasn't the slightest resemblance to Harrison Ford. Even a good impersonator wouldn't be the same.

Of course, I doubt that Ford would have anything to sue over if Lucas used his likeness for profit, without permission. It's the business model of most, if not all, tabloids.

Re:Does it matter?

[Nutty_Irishman (729030)]

This is what they ended up doing for X-Men 3 on Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen for their 20+ year prior shot. It's actually pretty impressive what they were able to accomplish digitally, check it out: http://www.fxguide.com/article357.html [fxguide.com] . A little bit different if you had to do it for an entire movie, but the technology is getting there.

R2D2

[Tablizer (95088)]

R2D2 turned down the droid role. They are contacting a Jack-in-the-Box garbage can now for the part.

contract stipulation...

[by Anonymous Coward]

The deal fell through because Ford stipulated in the contract that greedo couldn't shoot first.

George Lucas has lost credibility

[boxlight (928484)]

Harrison Ford knows crap when he sees it. He turned down the part because he wants to try and do good work, he's not interested in resurrecting an old character just for a cash grab -- like Ford once said about returning to Han Solo in a Barbara Walters interview, "That character is a little thin for me now".

George Lucas, on the other hand, has lost a tonnes of credibility with the Star Wars prequels. As Brent Spiner said, "it took him twenty years to come up with something lousey". George's quickness to return to the Star Wars well is more evidence that he has become a sell-out of the highest order.

George should forget about Star Wars spin-offs, go back to his roots and start a new project. Maybe a remake of Flash Gordon or Buck Rogers ... something he loved as a child.

boxlight

Yeah, but Ford is boring now too

[straponego (521991)]

Okay, I know I'll get roasted for this, but... All I've seen Ford do for, oh, at least the last decade is play the straight man, the righteous normal guy who has to become an avenging action when he is SHOCKED to find that people do evil... but he never has a spark of the bad-boy sass that used to animate Han Solo and Indiana Jones.

I mean... looking at IMDB... the Tom Clancy movies, Air Force One (Worst Idea Ever), The Fugitive, Firewall, K-19... the guy's become a grim automaton. Some of those movies were decent, but his characters were pretty much the same in every damn one. Anyway, let's hope that IJ4 breaks the long grey-brown streak.

So he's playing Indiana Jones instead

[Moraelin (679338)]

First of all, did you hear that he's playing Indiana Jones instead? It's in the same link. So it's not like he refused SW to go play some peaceful suburban father with 2.5 kids role.

Second, we don't know the details there. It could be simply that the Indiana Jones role paid better.

Third, after what George Lucas did to Episodes 1 to 3, can you really blame him? I mean, it's ok to bitch and moan about it as a fan, but he's the one who gets it on his CV and maybe conscience. Maybe he's good at knowing a dud when he sees one. Or maybe, especially given the choices of roles as a good guy, he doesn't want to star in Lucas's recent moral relativism (and revisionism) lectures.

SW started as a simple kids' story, a SF version of a mix of fantasy and swashbucklers and WW2 carrier battles. Brave knights with magic swords against clear super-villains. (You'd be hard pressed to paint blowing up a planet they already knew was not a rebellion planet, just to make an example, as a moral grey zone.) The rebels are good, the Empire is evil, and it tells you so right in the opening text. Even when the good guys tell a little lie (e.g., Ben saying that Luke's father is dead), it's with the best intentions, and even when the evil guys tell the truth, you know it's just scheming to some evil end. Follow your heart, do the right thing, don't let old farts tell you what to do (even if it's Yoda), don't fall for the excuses and promises of the dark side. And, oh, trust your own skills, not some targetting computer gizmo.

Not entirely applicable to RL, but it's a simple (or simplified) story, that's easy to digest and entertaining.

And it's not _that_ far off the mark either. While RL situations are a lot less black-and-white, it's not as impossible to have some principles as some people try to tell you. Just because neither side is pure black or white, it doesn't mean there's no difference. If one side is only 75% right and the other 75% wrong, it still doesn't mean that they're perfectly equivalent and it doesn't matter which you choose. Moral relativism is a subject very dear to both philosophers (since that's their job) and sociopaths (who just love muddying the waters and justifying any evil they do), but RL isn't _that_ relative. Just because some details varied across time and space, doesn't mean that the entire concepts of good and evil are purely arbitrary and irrelevant. But I digress.

So a long time after Episode 6, Lucas seems to have decided to undo that whole simplicity. Most of what Episodes 1 to 3 do isn't as much about showing you the history of it, as about trying to undo the good-vs-evil theme of the original trilogy. It's a lecture in how, see, the good guys weren't really good, they were just some self-serving self-indulgent caste, and, see, the evil guys weren't evil as such, they were really just another point of view and at most a bit mis-guided. And Vader (you know, the same guy who supervised blowing up a planet full of innocents) didn't as much fall to the dark side by some act of selfish evil, but was just yet another guy who thought he's doing the right thing, if in a bit of a mis-guided way. Etc.

It's been about rewriting the SW universe in more profound ways than "Han shot first." The whole "A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack" got kicked into the garbage bin, for example, and that was a far more central idea than Han shooting first.

It's not just the bad acting and bad scripting and bad directing and Jar Jar that make the prequels hard to swallow, it's also that it's a moral ambiguity lesson with some special effects and badly acted/scripted/directed at that. Once the whole monomyth structure and clear cut sides fly out the window, it becomes a lot harder to empathise with the heroes or follow why did they have to do this and that. Or to what (justifiable) end.

Contrast Episode 4 where it followed a logical and archetypal structure to destroy the evil Death Star, to Episode 1 where the grand achievement is finding Anakin

Re:George Lucas has lost credibility

[suv4x4 (956391)]

He turned down the part because he wants to try and do good work, he's not interested in resurrecting an old character just for a cash grab

Indiana Jones 4 ... ?

You know what, I actually would like to see the spin-off Star Wars with Ford. Unlike you crazy fans, I enjoy light fantasy/sci-fi movies for what they are.

The dialog and some plot lines in the prequels surely were very odd at times, but Lucas has enough feedback to know better now. He learned from Jar Jar-s feedback in the first one.

The problem here stems from insane fans with impossible to meet standards. I personally like Star Wars, like the sound track, most of the characters, and mostly, I enjoy exploring huge fantasy worlds executed in incredible detail and imagination, which is something we rarely see in movies, even for the sheer amount of people and effects required to make them a reality.

The rest is just fan snobbery.

Re:George Lucas has lost credibility

[camperdave (969942)]

But there are so many small things Lucas could have done (or not done) to the series that would have made it a lot better.

1. Han shooting first. This is what made Han such a cool character. He's a chaotic neutral in a world of lawful goods and lawful evils. He stands out.
2. When Darth Maul and Qui-Gon Jinn are waiting for the force fields to part, there could have been some dialog about the rivalry between the Sith and the Jedi, possibly referring to the prophecy about balance in the Force.
3. The Midichlorians should have been left out. The Force lost a lot of it's mystique.
4. R2D2 should not have flown. For me, this is when the series jumped the shark. He should have dropped onto some passing machinery, and used a magnetic grapnel to pull himself up to the control panel instead.
5. 
   So, if he spent a little more time polishing the dialog/plot instead of the effects, we would have had passable movies.
   
   The only feedback I'd give him at this point is: If you want to make more Star Wars movies, get some good writers.

Re:George Lucas has lost credibility

[Hektor_Troy (262592)]

When Darth Maul and Qui-Gon Jinn are waiting for the force fields to part, there could have been some dialog about the rivalry between the Sith and the Jedi, possibly referring to the prophecy about balance in the Force.

Why? That scene was perfect, imho. We see the huge difference between a sith and a jedi. It's the difference between an angry caged tiger and a martial arts master. The sith is the epitome of the dark side - he's angry and impatient. The jedi is the epitome of the light side - he's patient and calm, using the small reprieve to meditate.

Hell it even allows the musical score to shine much brighter. Most of that huge fight scene is done almost entirely without dialog, hinging instead on the tone of the music.

I'll agree with you on the other parts - those were just silly. But that one shouldn't be changed. Ever.

Re:George Lucas has lost credibility

[naoursla (99850)]

To be fair, Lucas used to tell fans that he would make more Star Wars movies when he needed more money. At least that is what I used to hear before the Special Edition movies were released. I think he flubbed the prequels on purpose just so he wouldn't have such a rabid group pestering him all of the time. He knew they would still make swimming pools and swimming pools of cash, and the little extra they would make as great movies would not be worth becoming an even greater living legend to people for whom he could barely hide his distain.

Demanding fans?

[Brett Buck (811747)]

There's NO WAY that anything Lucas or anyone else did would ever satisfy the "demanding fans" - the die-hards saw the originals when they were 8-12 years old, a long time ago. Their *memories* of seeing it the first time are far better than the movies actually were, so when 25 years later movies of the same general quality come out, of course they are disappointed. I was old enough to see them all with some degree of objectivity, and the originals weren't all that better than the prequels. The main thing that struck me about the originals were the effects, which were so much better than anything you had ever seen (aside from maybe 2001: A Space Odyssey). That Imperial Star destroyer coming in over the camera in the opening shot literally drew gasps from the audience. Very impressive compared to what came before, like Star Trek/Lost In Space, etc. That sort of "dazzle factor" is never going to be seen again from effects, and although the prequels effects were MUCH better than the originals, they didn't stand out. Take that away and all you have are some pretty predictable stories that anyone who watched B-movie Westerns would recognize.

          There's no way that the grown-up fans are ever going to be satisfied the way they were when they were 11 years old.

          Brett

Re:Demanding fans?

[Varkias (631272)]

I disagree. I've watched movies today that I loved as a kid and thought to myself "What was I thinking". Star Wars is one of those movies that I can still watch today and enjoy because it had a great story and great characters. The prequels were beautiful dreck with no soul. They will not be remembered because of the weak characters and story, it has nothing to do with the "wow" factor. I can remember watching Episode 1 thinking "wow" this movie looks beautiful and "wow" this story is horrible.

Baloney!

[dxlts (1037812)]

There's no way that the grown-up fans are ever going to be satisfied the way they were when they were 11 years old.

That's partially true, but the prequels *DO* objectively SUCK waayyyyyy more than the originals. Remember the original 3 movies were re-released a couple years *before* any of the prequels came out? I went back and saw the re-released originals as an adult, and yeah, you're right...they really weren't the same watching them as an adult.

However, they were still FAR FAR FAR FAR BETTER than any of the prequels, with their wooden acting. As far as the special effects, the technology of the special effects used on the prequels may be better than that of the originals, but the actual use of the technology (you know, imagination, etc) was way inferior. The special effects in the prequels was just shamelessly piled on, without any art to it. Take the battle scenes for instance. It's all just a bunch of random chaos, with lasers shooting every which way, and stuff blowing up all over the place, and the camera doesn't stay on one shot for more than 50 milliseconds until it switches over to some other scene, making it impossible to really follow the flow of the battle. You basically just sit there, completely overwhelmed, and it's only after the battle is done that you finally figure out what the hell just happened. There's no tension, just confusion. Special effects just for the sake of special effects is crap. You can't just pile it on endlessly and hope it will automagically coalesce into something wonderful. More is not always better.

Hooray for the geezer patrol

[freeweed (309734)]

Could the spin off centered on the rugged Han Solo save the Star Wars franchise from its prequels

I guess if "rugged" is the new word for "over the hill", then possibly.

Is Lucas TRYING to emulate Trek here? ie: Keep re-using the same geriatrics until enough are in the grave that you have no choice but to finally re-cast the character?

Gonna light a bonfire, fuel it with my karma...

[Mr. Roadkill (731328)]

Okay, here's the REAL deal.

Harrison Ford took the Indiana Jones role over the Han Solo one because it's going to be a much better movie.

The rumour that it takes place in the sixties is true, and fits in nicely with the Mr Ford's present age.

What hasn't been widely revealed is that Sean Connory *will* be in the movie, although the role will probably surprise many people.

Since Satan owns the pink slip for the soul of pretty much everyone who has ever worked in motion pictures, he can shuffle the deck however he sees fit... and some interesting studio mergers mean that Sean Connory will play an elderly James Bond who fell through a temporal rift as the result of Xindi interference with Earth history - the theory being that if they could get all the kids hooked on beer and acid and dope then warp drive would never be invented. Little did they realise that Optimus Prime would ride in on My Little Pony and save the day by assassinating Kennedy and illegitimately fathering Rosie ODonnell with, you guessed it, Rosie ODonnell - who fell through the same temporal rift James Bond fell through. Pygmies re-discover left-over gou'auld technology that permits them to build hypersonic blow-dart weapons, which are capable of destroying ICBMs and thereby save the USA from the tyranny of total destruction when they decide to make the Ukraine glow in the dark...which happens two-thirds of the way through the movie, because the Ark of the Covenant (which was stolen from Area 51 by the Xindi) has been given to the Russians, who are using it to try to re-animate a cut-n-shunt SuperPolitician they've made from the cryogenically preserved remains of Adolph Hitler, Josef Stalin and Walt Disney - but exposure to nuclear fallout causes this re-animated monstrosity to sprout wings and fly to Tokyo, where as Mothra it does battle with Godzilla until Indiana Jones...

Sorry, I've given too much away already. You'll just have to buy a ticket like everybody else.

aaaaaagh!

[dreddnott (555950)]

Dude, please! Use the spoilers tag next time!

Disappointed?

[freeze128 (544774)]

Why waste $100 Million just to disappoint the fans in 2 years, when you can disappoint the fans right away for free.

It's a shame

[finkployd (12902)]

I was kinda looking forward to the scene where the Millennium Falcon makes the Kessel run in 12 parsecs with the left blinker on the whole time.

Finkployd

Re:Oh god...

[PCM2 (4486)]

Mr. Lucas, why are you asking me to bend over again?

Probably because you've done it three times already and he knows a cheap date when he sees one.

Re:No! That's not why!!!

[patio11 (857072)]

For reference, http://imdb.com/gallery/granitz/3463/CarrieFish_Gr ani_5733926_400.jpg.html?path=pgallery&path_key=Fi sher,%20Carrie&seq=2 [imdb.com]

Look as good at fifty-something you will not.