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 Yet fans are watching to see if a little-known actor can fill
the shoes of Harrison Ford, whose dry-witted bounty hunter is
one of the franchise's most popular characters.
All eyes will be on Alden Ehrenreich, 28, when Disney's "Solo"
gets its world premiere in Los Angeles on Thursday ahead of an
international rollout on May 23.
"Solo" is an origin story set some 10 years before the events of
the 1977 "Star Wars" movie, when Ford starred as the cynical
cowboy space pilot. He reprised the role almost 30 years later
for "The Force Awakens," which at $2 billion is the third
biggest-grossing film on record.
"Han Solo is my favorite character in 'Star Wars' and Harrison
Ford is a big part of that," said Sarah Woloski, co-host with
Tricia Barr and Teresa Delgado of "Star Wars" podcast Fangirls
Going Rogue.
"But if Alden has the right swagger and attitude to pull that
off, that's more important than being a Harrison Ford
look-alike," she said.
Ehrenreich got warm reviews for quirky 2016 comedy "Hail,
Caesar" but is otherwise little known to generations of fervent
"Star Wars" fans.
On the other hand, Ford, now 75, became a taciturn sex symbol, a
persona that grew with his "Indiana Jones" adventures. Yet his
alpha male Han Solo of the 1970s and 80s may not be the hero
audiences want in 2017.
"I think a lot of heterosexual men learned how to flirt from Han
Solo and Indiana Jones. But men like me grew up and realized you
can't act like Han Solo. Han Solo is kind of a jerk," said Ryan
Britt, entertainment editor of pop culture and technology at
website Inverse.com.
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"If Alden's sexy, I don't think he can be as pushy as the Han Solo
of the 80s," Britt said.
Trailers for "Solo," including some deadpan lines from
co-screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan, have excited fans who were
initially nervous about Ehrenreich's casting.
They are also hoping the film will explain Han Solo's back story,
including his friendship with co-pilot Chewbacca, how he won the
Millennium Falcon spaceship, and how he became the cynic whose
catchphrase "I have a bad feeling about this" has been used in some
form in almost every "Star Wars" movie.
"Why did he lose his idealism? Does he get his heart broken? Does he
get ripped off? Does he get betrayed?" said Britt.
The biggest surprise may come in the form of Donald Glover, the
singer and actor who plays a young version of smuggler Lando
Calrissian.
"I might be more excited about Lando, and seeing the swagger of
Donald Glover, than seeing Han Solo," said Delgado, who plans to see
"Solo" three times over its opening weekend.
"I can't imagine he will be anything less than awesome and
swoon-worthy."
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Paul Tait)
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