‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ Actor Not Doing a Harrison Ford Impression

The star of the upcoming Star Wars spinoff movie has some MAJOR shoes to fill, some would say too big. Some fans have already written off Solo: A Star Wars Story because Harrison Ford isn’t involved.

And while new actor Alden Ehrenreich will be taking up the mantle of the galaxy’s infamous smuggler, there was never any attempt from him to imitate the man who made Solo a legend. Director Ron Howard spoke with Empire Magazine when he gave some insight to Ehrenreich’s approach.

“It was always clear from the beginning, before I was involved, that it was not going to be an impression of Harrison. No one wanted that,” Howard said. “Part of Han Solo’s character is sort of a vibe and a feel and a body language.”

While Ehrenreich isn’t recreating what Ford already did on the screen, the actor does understand that he’s coming into a character with a lot of expectations, even though it takes place in a different time than what we’ve already seen.

“I think this movie is a great adventure story, and it’s a great adventure story that’s kind of a biopic in the way of a fictional character,” Ehrenreich said to Kinowetter. “So you’re watching this story unfold and enjoying the high excitement of that. And then at the same time, there’s more of a focus on character and how he changes, I think, than you typically get in that kind of movie.”

Ehrenreich and Howard have a major benefit in this film, with Star Wars legend Lawrence Kasdan writing the script alongside his son Jon.

Kasdan had a hand in Star Wars movies like The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and The Force Awakens, and is largely considered the authorial voice for Han Solo. He revealed he was originally brought on to write the Han Solo spinoff before Disney purchased Lucasfilm, and that he was brought over to help J.J. Abrams with the script for Episode VII.

“When I was done, I was sort of burned out. And I said, ‘I don’t know, do we still want to do this Han thing?’” Lawrence said to Entertainment Weekly. “And they said, ‘Yeah! We really want you to go ahead with Han.’ And I said, ‘Well, my son, Jon, is very enthusiastic and full of ideas about the saga.’ And he had directed two movies and had done other things. ‘What if he came on and worked with me? Because, that would give me a shot in the arm.’ And so, that’s exactly what happened. They made a deal with Jon, and he and I have been writing since for three years.”

Fans will get to see the young smuggler’s journey when Solo: A Star Wars Story premieres in theaters on May 25th.

Are you excited for a different version of Han Solo? Let us know what you think in the comments!

[h/t ScreenRant]