Did Enough Time Pass to Re-Cast Han & Luke & Leia for Episodes 7 & 8 & 9?

More Star Wars is coming. What do I want to see? The story of Luke & Leia & Han continued. Now I don't want to see grandpa Luke and Han and Granny Leia exchange stories on their front porch, drinking sweet tea - I want an almost seamless continuation off the ending of Return of the Jedi. That's not going to happen without a Re-Cast.

I think enough time has passed for me to buy into other actors taking these iconic parts. What about you guys? What do you want, and do you think a Re-Cast could work? Who would you cast as whom?

Poll inspired by Lasertime's Disney/Star Wars episode -here-.

You mean new actors?

Unless those three are grandparents in the new ones, then absolutely. I do hope that Harrison Ford isn't running around a forest, shooting at things. I want to see Luke as a cracking old man who speaks like the Joker in whatever Jedi academy he founded.

There's enough existing fiction for the characters to be the actual age of the actors.

@GS_Dan: Thankfully, all of that existing fiction is being discarded (and hopefully set on fire).

I don't think they should be recast, but I'm happy with the movies primarily being about new characters. Luke Skywalker should be there, but in more of an Obi-wan type role, passing along the torch to the new generation.

You want a seamless transition from Return of the Jedi. Who says its going to be a seamless transition from Return of the Jedi?

This could easy take after 30 years of ROTJ.

Intact...who says Luke, Han, and Leia will be in it?

@Akyho said:

You want a seamless transition from Return of the Jedi. Who says its going to be a seamless transition from Return of the Jedi?

This could easy take after 30 years of ROTJ.

Intact...who says Luke, Han, and Leia will be in it?

Nobody. Nobody other than me has a say in what I want - or am I mistaken in that? And yes, I'd rather adjust to a new cast of actors, than have 20+ years of lore being glossed over in episode 7.

I'm no scholar in the lore of the extended universe, but I love what was considered to be the plot of episodes 7 & 8 & 9 - which was supposed to be about clones of all the major jedis that have lived and died during the war.

Jedi are all but extinct after episode 6, and it's just way too interesting a period in time to be glossed over by the upcoming movies. I want to the see the trials and trepidations of Luke building up a new Jedi Order - and the complications and challenges and opportunities powerful forcewielder clones bring into that situation.

I would like to see the original cast make an appearance again, they are still alive, so why not.  Could easily see the main characters being offspring from the original cast so the original cast can be in a background role.

Don't do it. Nobody wants to see old Han Solo and fat Luke Skywalker

I think they could. I'd rather they didn't but it would work if they cast the right people. Harrison Ford will always be Han but I would accept a new guy in a new movie.

@WinterSnowblind said:

@GS_Dan: Thankfully, all of that existing fiction is being discarded (and hopefully set on fire).

I don't think they should be recast, but I'm happy with the movies primarily being about new characters. Luke Skywalker should be there, but in more of an Obi-wan type role, passing along the torch to the new generation.

Kyle Katarn woo!!

No.

No, I don't think they should be in it. Their story ended quite neatly I thought, better to set this one long after and get new characters and stuff. 
 
Optimally it would begin with a death star destroying Jar Jar Binks' home planet with him included.

Carrie Fisher could use the work out. Ouch.

I'd prefer a clean break with the characters, maybe put the old guys in as cameos. I really wouldn't want to be the guy who has to replace Harrison Ford.

There's enough existing fiction for the characters to be the actual age of the actors.

@Jeust said:

@GS_Dan said:

There's enough existing fiction for the characters to be the actual age of the actors.

Yeah. This.

And I would hate to see them pick up right where return of the jedi left. Time should go by and new generations take over. Or better yet, a completely different story arc with different characters.

@Jeust said:

@GS_Dan said:

There's enough existing fiction for the characters to be the actual age of the actors.

Yeah. This.

And I would hate to see them pick up right where return of the jedi left. Time should go by and new generations take over. Or better yet, a completely different story arc with different characters.

No. Keep the original actors. Say it's Force poisoning or some shit.

I'm over Star Wars. It kind of bums me out, but there it is.

@Seppli: Calm down duder, I never argued what you want is not what YOU want. I merely was getting at is that reality can be utterly different.

Could definitely see Hamil return as the new Obi-Wan-type mentor figure.

Kill 'em off with a throwaway line abut them all having a family holiday and crashing the shuttle and then start over with a new cast. Also, ditch the whole "extended universe". You can do better.

Disney put J.J. Abrams on the helm of episode 7. His pedigree includes successfully recasting Kirk Spock & Co. and rebooting Star Trek - I'm pretty sure that's why Disney bet on him. Disney wants Abrams to do what he did for Star Trek's iconic characters - find a new cast of actors to bring Han Luke and Leia to life.

20 bucks Star Wars is getting a new cast for its old and iconic heroes.

They can recast them, absolutely.

I struggle to think of actors who can actually pull off Leia or Han, though, unless we were going for a full-on reboot where the characters saw some alteration. Emma Stone has been the obvious pick for replacing Carrie Fisher, but she will probably seem younger than Carrie Fisher for a while now. Replacing Ford is harder. Fillion and Jackman would play the role similarly to Ford, but it'd be the "filling-daddy's-shoes" problem.

Alternatively, do set this movie way later and have the original actors come back.

@Seppli said:

Now I don't want to see grandpa Luke and Han and Granny Leia exchange stories on their front porch, drinking sweet tea

Why not? Maybe not as an Episode VII thing, but as a movie, that could be really great. Obviously, something else should probably be going on around that (Luke selecting a new leader for the Jedi Council while he retires, Leia making an effort to right the New Republic's political sphere, Han urging her to be more aggressive, new, younger characters appearing in an action film) but the idea of them sitting and watching the equivalent of a binary sunset and realizing that they've grown old could be extremely poignant.

I'm sad that people limit themselves as to what Star Wars can be. Simply recapturing IV-VI over and over again will never lead to anything better than those movies. It's why J.J. Abrams is such an easy pick. I'd rather see really bizarre directors get their hands on it.

It would be much less effort to focus the story elsewhere and not have to worry about such things. And would also risk less fan ire about whatever overwriting the movie does of accepted 'canon' in fiction.

@believer258 said:

You mean new actors?

Unless those three are grandparents in the new ones, then absolutely. I do hope that Harrison Ford isn't running around a forest, shooting at things. I want to see Luke as a cracking old man who speaks like the Joker in whatever Jedi academy he founded.

Oh man I hadn't thought of that, I had assumed this meant should those 3 actors continue to play those same characters (same age too) but if they play OLD themselves?? Now i'm on board.

Why not just have new characters?

We will just have to wait and see what Jar Jar Abrams does.

@Little_Socrates:

I was thinking Olivia Thirlby would make a terrific Leia.

I was having this discussion with some friends a few weeks ago. A Brad Pitt who is about 8-12 years younger than he is today (can you believe dude is 49?) would've been so awesome as Han Solo. I'm basing this off of Brad Pitt's cool badass era, when he played that guy in Ocean's Eleven, Tyler Durden in Fight Club, and Mickey in Snatch.

But yeah, I see no reason to involve the original actors. Even if the script does require Luke, Leia, Han, etc., it's just not worth it. Mark Hamill barely appears in movies, instead preferring voice work, and Carrie Fisher hasn't exactly maintained the figure for the role. Who knows if either of them would want to be in the movie, or if Star Wars is a part of their lives they've left behind. Harrison Ford would probably agree to be in it, but that's because he'll agree to be in anything, even if he is way too old (e.g. the new Indiana Jones).

They can't use the original actors as leads. Just can't. And they won't. Ford is the only one who really has any chops, and they're really all just too goddamn old. Cameos, fine. But no leads.

Where they go from there is a tougher question. I say recast them, not create new characters. Nothing's sacred. And with Abrams' success doing just that in Star Trek, I'd guess that's where they're headed.

@Seppli: Hm. Wasn't even aware of her. Have not seen any of her movies since Juno, which I saw back when Juno came out. I suppose maybe she could work?

...guys.

We're gonna wind up with Joseph Gordon Levitt or RDJ as Han Solo, aren't we?

@Little_Socrates:

Dredd 3D was a marvelous time. She's in that.

@BisonHero said:

But yeah, I see no reason to involve the original actors. Even if the script does require Luke, Leia, Han, etc., it's just not worth it. Mark Hamill barely appears in movies, instead preferring voice work, and Carrie Fisher hasn't exactly maintained the figure for the role. Who knows if either of them would want to be in the movie, or if Star Wars is a part of their lives they've left behind. Harrison Ford would probably agree to be in it, but that's because he'll agree to be in anything, even if he is way too old (e.g. the new Indiana Jones).

Pretty much the entire main cast, plus Billy Dee Williams and Sam Jackson have said they'd totally be on board to be in the movies. Whether or not they'll go that route though..

I almost feel like too much has.

@Seppli: I'll actually be seeing Dredd next weekend, so I'm pretty excited for it!

If it's anything like George Lucas originally planned, they still fit their roles well as they were supposed to be old in episode 7 8 and 9 (from what I remember) so they could still technically be in those- if even as mentors to a new "generation" or something. 
 
What people don't consider sometimes is being that it is a war, and 7, 8 and 9 being the future of the originals (especially at this point, it has to be) it doesn't have to be centered around the characters we already know they just still have to exist. In 7, 8, and 9 the Jedi Order is a remnant of what it used to be (being almost non existant) so it could involve finding and rebuilding that or it could involve another Sith rising from the ashes (as these things go in that world) and creating a new problem forcing them to have to find someone. 
 
There's many directions this could go. I feel we have enough expanded universe that is actually really good (some of it even being better than the prequels) that we know it's possible. It doesn't have to involve the original characters; although there is a place for them too if they do it right (which I have faith they can if allowed to)- they can still exist and even be involved if the actors are up for it and if not they can serve mentor roles or they can just be a mention. It's really all in the execution. 
 
I wonder if Mark Hamill would even be game at this point to be in another Star Wars. He's grown a lot as an actor over the years, he could certainly pull off a mentor. 
 
However, that being said. There is no reason to recast them. That would be very unwise and also lazy.

@Marz said:

I would like to see the original cast make an appearance again, they are still alive, so why not. Could easily see the main characters being offspring from the original cast so the original cast can be in a background role.

Yeah this except the offspring though. Let the original cast be in there somewhere but make the new characters be the focus and make them their own people not "Han's Kid".

Reminds me that I haven't watched Revenge of the Sith yet.

I wouldn't mind appearances by old characters but the story should be made up of fresh faces to at the very least minimize the bitching that's going to come out of this project...though that's probably a loosing battle because an entirely new cast is sure to start "Ugh, who are these people? I bet they can't hold a candle to the real Star Wars. Hey guys, remember how cool Han was? Yeah, he totally shot first. Fucking Lucas..."

Carrie Fisher could come back, assuming she doesn't BLOW her audition! Yuk yuk yuk!

Mark Hamill would make an excellent Obi Wan.

Harrison Ford would make an excellent Uncle Owen/Grandpa.

Carrie Fisher would make an excellent Jabba the Hut.

So yeah, bring it on.

Totally depends on if its right off from Return of the Jedi somehow or further distanced.

Without knowing I couldn't say.

It'll never happen but I'd like a movie that doesn't center on the Jedi. This last season of the Clone Wars has proven there are much more interesting storylines to explore. And they should just hire the writers on the show.

I want episode 7 to be Luke's dark meditation on the fact that he sucked face with his sister at the beginning of Empire. He finds himself still attracted to her, but he knows that they can never be together. He keeps getting invited to awkward space dinner after awkward space dinner with her and Han. In the final shot, he gets R2 to inject him with space suicide drugs.

I'd actually like to see the old actors return. Mark Hamil and Carrie Fisher haven't really done much on camera in quite awhile- It'd be cool to see them get their asses into shape and return to Star Wars (even in limited roles).

There's no reason to recast them, and other Harrison Ford they'd all be cheap. Just kill of Han or say he's off somewhere doing something if he's too expensive. Who cares at this point? Plus these movies are just gonna follow a new group of hot and sexy Jedis and pilots so this topic's a moot point at best.

I love how divided the poll is. Yes is currently only winning by 0.4% and there are 131 votes.

I say ditch those characters all together.

I think they should remake everything, starting with the prequel trilogy. I firmly believe that there is a good story somewhere to be told in there, All it would take is a massive rewrite, complete recasting, New plot, new story details, different characters. Basically the only things they should keep from the prequels is Obi-wan, Ainikin, and Darth Maul.