Harrison Ford has long displayed unease with even discussing "Star Wars" in public, but the man who made Han Solo famous is reportedly up for a return to the galaxy far, far away. As an unnamed source told Geoff Boucher from Entertainment Weekly's EW.com, Ford is "open to the idea of doing the movie and he’s upbeat about it," though there is one caveat: He wants Han Solo to die.
That isn't necessarily the biggest surprise. As "Star Wars" fans might remember, Solo was supposed to perish in "Star Wars: Episode VI - The Return of the Jedi," but George Lucas decided it wouldn't be prudent.
"I thought he should have died in the last one, just to give it some bottom; some gravitas," Ford told Peter Travers in an interview with ABC in 2010. "George didn't think there was any future in dead Han toys."
What is shocking is that Ford wants to play Solo again at all. In that same interview with Travers, Ford said the part wasn't "interesting" to him. He also questioned whether Solo even belonged in future "Star Wars" episodes. "I don't think there's a way to weave him back into the story," he said.
While there will be a rash of "Star Wars" rumors between now and 2015 -- on Monday, the website Collider floated the unconfirmed news that Matthew Vaughn could direct "Episode VII" -- this one has some teeth. Boucher interviewed Ford for the 30th anniversary of "Empire Strikes Back," one of the only "Star Wars" events the 70-year-old actor has participated in since "Return of the Jedi"; perhaps his inside information in this case is stronger than most.
Should Ford play Han Solo in "Episode VII" it would be the latest iconic character the star has returned to in the last few years. He starred as Indiana Jones in 2008's "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" and has been rumored to appear in Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner" sequel. Like this "Star Wars" rumor, however, that is also unconfirmed.
For more on Ford and what is needed for him to sign on for "Episode VII," head over to EW.com.
[via EW]
