Star Wars: Oscar Isaac Says He Won't Become a New Han Solo in 'The Last Jedi'

Despite The Force Awakens becoming a massive financial success, one of the issues some fans took with the sequel was that it felt too similar to the original Star Wars and was far too formulaic. With the 2015 film introducing audiences to the piloting skills of Oscar Isaac's Poe Dameron, many audiences are nervous the character's swagger will see him becoming a Han Solo replacement, which the actor assured was far from the case in The Last Jedi.

"Well, there could be, but I think what [The Last Jedi writer/director] Rian [Johnson] did was make it less about filling a slot and more about what the story needs," Isaac told Esquire about the risk of Dameron becoming a surrogate Solo. "The fact is now that the Resistance has been whittled to just a handful of people, they're running for their lives, and Leia is grooming me — him — to be a leader of the Resistance, as opposed to a dashing, rogue hero."

Dameron made a big impact on audiences in The Force Awakens despite his minimal screentime, with Isaac promising his character has been given "not that much more, but a little more to do" in The Last Jedi.

Audiences only saw glimpses of Dameron's role in the Resistance in Force Awakens, but Isaac assured earlier this year that we'll see much more of his role in the organization and, more importantly, how his character relates to Leia.

"Poe's arc is one of evolving from a heroic soldier to a seasoned leader, to see beyond the single-mindedness of winning the battle to the larger picture of the future of the galaxy," Isaac told Entertainment Weekly. "I think Leia knows she won't be around forever and she, with tough love, wants to push Poe to be more than the badass pilot, to temper his heroic impulses with wisdom and clarity."

With Leia and Han's son abandoning them to embrace the Dark side of the Force, Isaac hinted that Dameron might help fill that void in Leia's life.

"Poe is in some ways a surrogate son for Leia," Isaac detailed. "But also I think she sees in him the potential for a truly great leader of the Resistance and beyond."

The Last Jedi hits theaters on December 15.

[H/T Esquire]