I don't understand Harrison Ford...

He says he would never play Han Solo again, yet he will play Indy in a 5th movie if it's made and co-stars in Cowboys and Aliens. Seriously? He'll say yes to Cowboys and Aliens yet wouldn't say yes to a Sequel Trilogy.

I don't get it.

The only thing I can think of is it must be an ego thing. Since he's not the main character in Star Wars he wouldn't want to do it.

Could be ego. Or it could be he just feels his character has finished its story.

Maybe Carrie Fisher can talk him into it...

"If you run into Mister Lucas, please tell him... I promise not to do [cocaine] again should he decide to do another sequel starring a geriatric Mr & Mrs. Han Solo, on the shopping planet- having pedicures & trying on nightgowns from deep space."

I don't think Ford really even wanted to be in Star Wars. He wanted Han Solo to get killed in ESB so that he wouldn't have to be in ROTJ. Maybe he dislikes working with George Lucas, but will make exceptions for Spielberg.

Working Indy with Spielberg IS working with Lucas. He has said on more than one occassion that he thought the character ran its course (Han).

Yeah I really think he was tired of the character by RotJ and so wanted to go out in a blaze of glory.

Yeah, I know what he said, but

1.) Han evolved more, and has more room to evolve, than Indy

2.) He would star in Cowbays & Aliens but not 7-9

If you know what he said, why are you still questioning and arguing about it? Ford doesn't find the character as interesting or as dynamic as we do. He feels Solo is limited, a one-dimensional stand-in rather than a real, human person. We may disagree (and I certainly do) with that assessment, but it's Ford's role and that is his opinion on the matter. Argue with him all you like, but there is the reality.

I also think that, to a certain extent, it has to do with Peter Mayhew. A big part of being an actor is the company of the people you work with every day. Mayhew is not an actor and, if you've ever seen any interviews with him, comes across as a quart or two short of a full tank. Working with Mayhew day-in and day-out, stuck in that confined cockpit set, take after take, with a somewhat nutty, not-exactly-brilliant, non-actor is probably not Ford's idea of a good time on the job. (Ford said as much a few years ago,though not in so many words.)

Ford is a huge star, obviously, and can pick and choose the parts he wants to play based on the material, the creative team and his co-stars. If he doesn't like the Solo character and he doesn't especially enjoy working with a glorified stunt double with whom he has nothing in common, who are we to bellyache about it?

I have never heard the "Mayhew made me quit Solo" angle before! That made me LMBO!


T-R-
2.) He would star in Cowbays & Aliens but not 7-9

Correct me if I'm wrong but Cowboys and Aliens is an actual movie that has finished shooting and is in post production at ILM right now.

Episodes 7-9 only exist in our heads. So how can he not do something that doesn't exist?

At some point neither existed, correct? At this point he had already said that he wouldn't do 7-9. Also at this pont, he thought Cowboys & Aliens was a good role to take.

It would be completely different if he said he would play Solo again if GL made 7-9.

As it stands now, even if GL wanted to make them, 1 of the big 3 said he wouldn't do it yet went with C&A.

It's easy for him to say he wont do the sequel trilogy when there's not even a script or a proposed salary for reprising his role in front of him.

Why do the movies following "RETURN OF THE JEDI" have to featured the three main characters from the Original Trilogy?

Because apparently it is written in stone somewhere.

Harrison just thought Solo ran his course.
I think his idea of killing the character off in Empire Strikes Back is an interesting one. It would have been a stronger movie (even though Han is my favorite character in the three films.)

To try and suggest Harrison didn't like either his character or Star Wars simply because he wanted him killed is not really fair. I like Han Solo and I love Star Wars, but I would have probably killed him in ESB had I been in control (Harrison actually wanted him killed off in ROTJ). I also don't want to see the character in any future films (I dont really want future films at all) because, as others have said, the character more than came to natural conclusion in the movies we saw. I would argue his desire to dictate/influence the character's future shows he does care. If he didn't, he'd more than likely gladly take any offer to play him again and again and cash in while he still can.

Its been well documented that Harrison was always very enthusiastic about Star Wars whilst making the movies and has remained very grateful for the opportunities it gave him to enhance his career since.

Presumably for a similar reason that the movies preceding Star Wars had to feature Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Dave Palpatine.

Dave? I always thought his name was Tony?

Percy Palpatine.

His brother's name is Sheldon.

Maybe his clone from the Dark Horse series is named Joey. Joey Palpatine.

I think Harrison Ford's comments about not wanting to do another Star Wars movie are the same as Lucas' comments regarding a third trilogy. Until they actually decided to do it, they say it's not happening. Right now, I'm sure Harrison Ford has no desire to play Han Solo again, and he probably doesn't think the Sequel Trilogy will ever happen, so why would he ever say anything but what he says? He's not interested.

However, if tomorrow, Lucas decides he wants to do Episodes VII-IX, and he wants the Han Solo character to be in the movies, then Harrison Ford would show up wherever and whenever George asked him to, and he would do a kick ass job. I'm not trying to imply Lucas own Harrisons or anything like that. I believe they see each other as equals. But from a professional vantage point, Harrison Ford, in my opinion, would agree to do whatever was asked of him for the good of the franchise and for Lucas himself, and he'd take home a pretty penny doing it. It would just be professional courtesy. He might bitch and moan about it in the press, and he might make fun of the whole thing publically, but he wouldn't turn Lucas down.

Besides, in reality, if they do a Sequel Trilogy, it would be likely that the Han Solo character would not have a huge part, but rather small cameos.

He may not love the character of Han Solo, but he wouldn't be that big a prick to refuse Lucas and refuse to give the fans what they want. It's just a few weeks on a movie set for him. If there's ever an Episode VII-IX, he'll be in them.

Well said. It might well be that Harrison has a grudging affection for the Solo character and would jump at the chance to play him again. But as you said, there's no plans for a sequel trilogy, no script, no anything so why wouldn't he say "I'm not playing Han Solo again"? He's saying that because he thinks it wont happen.

I honestly dont think he'd sign on without seeing a script first and loving it. The best chance would be a tv series set 30+ years after ROTJ where GL might be able to convince him to shoot a cameo scene or two. I dont think Mark Hamill would be any different.

And even then, the characters would be ruined with CGI. Han Solo would be an overweight man who floats around in a hover-pod, doing backflips down flights of stairs. Luke would wield two lightsabers and ride around Magitek armor that also held lightsabers in its robot hands. I should probably stop before Lucas reads and likes this.

Solo would be like the ship Captain in Wall-E???



I can see the opening crawl now....


Luke Skywalker once again goes to save his great friend Han Solo from the evil clutches of the vile rest home, Watto's Dune Sea Retreat.

I don't think Harrison particularly likes Star Wars. I never got the feeling he liked it at all.