When Lucasfilm first revealed it was working on a prequel movie that would recast Han Solo and explore his early life, fans either reacted with an uninterested shrug, disappointment that the project was being chosen over other arguably more interesting ideas or flat-out raging anger that the studio would even consider replacing Harrison Ford.
The resulting film, Solo: A Star Wars Story, is now in cinemas and, well, it’s yet another controversial entry in the franchise. It’s probably true that many of those who didn’t take to the irreverent The Last Jedi much prefer the old fashioned stylings of Solo, but there’s still a general feeling that it’s simply a non-essential installment in the Star Wars saga.
If you’re one of those fans who didn’t feel there was much point in making a prequel about Han Solo, when we all knew how it’d end, then you’re in good company. It turns out that Solo‘s co-writer Jon Kasdan, who wrote the script with his father, Star Wars legend Lawrence Kasdan, didn’t initially like the idea for the second Anthology movie, either.
“I was ambivalent about doing it with him [Lawrence Kasdan] because I was skeptical there was a good movie in the story of Han’s youth. I don’t tend to like prequels because there’s little to no suspense about whether the hero will survive; of course he will. We see him later.”
So, why did Kasdan ultimately sign up to pen the script, then? Well, the writer went on to explain that Han’s tragic death in The Force Awakens helped change his mind. Apart from meaning that the prequel wouldn’t have to compete with Ford’s bonafide Solo anymore, this opened up Kasdan to the idea that he could explore Han’s “essential humanism” and reveal some emotional reasons for why he has such a cynical demeanor when we meet him in A New Hope.Â
Those who’ve seen Solo: A Star Wars Story will know that the Kasdans managed this, with the movie transforming Alden Ehrenreich’s Han from a wide-eyed optimist into a jaded criminal who’s careful with who he trusts. But was that enough to convince you that this prequel needed to be made in the first place? Leave your thoughts in the comments section down below.
