Star Wars legend Harrison Ford is admitting that “it will be weird” to watch the character he made a pop culture icon in the upcoming Young Han Solo movie. A bevy of Star Wars actors and filmmakers unleashed a treasure trove of information about the saga’s past, present and future at Star Wars Celebration a couple weeks back, and headlines flew out of the convention at a furious pace.

Amid the madness, some major tidbits were simply overlooked (including clarification about the young Han Solo name change) and more information is starting to attract attention now that fans have had a chance to take a breath and do some digging.

Among the convention tidbits that didn’t get as much attention initially – but probably should have – were Ford’s thoughts on the Young Han Solo movie. On stage with Star Wars creator George Lucas for an interview with The Star Wars Show, Ford says he’ll naturally be taking in the anthology film about the early days of Han Solo, starring Alden Ehrenreich as the beloved nerf herder. Ford says:

“Of course I’ll be watching it as a fan, but it will be weird … it’ll be a little weird … I’ve met the fella who’s gonna play the younger Han Solo. Wonderful guy, very sweet, and a very good actor. So I’m delighted in the choice.”

Fans know that Ford has met with Ehrenreich at least once, when the two were photographed together over lunch in early January. Of course, we won’t know what sort of advice Ford gave his young Star Wars counterpart at the time, but Ehrenreich is sure to share those stories when the film – currently in production – approaches its May 25, 2018, release date.

One thing Ford has to be hoping for with the Young Han Solo movie is that it’s memorable enough to become part of Star Wars’ saga’s long-lasting legacy. Ford points out that the contribution he’s most proud of is how the films continue to resonate with people as A New Hope approaches the 40th anniversary mark. Motioning to the Celebration crowd, Ford says:

“Telling stories is a service occupation. We continue to be allowed to tell stories on the basis of how happy people are with the stories that we tell. There cannot be a higher compliment than seeing all of these people continue to (watch) all of the iterations – and to pass on these stories generationally is the greatest tribute to George and his fabulous invention.”

It’s heartening to see Ford pay tribute to Lucas, especially since the famed filmmaker handed the reins of his most beloved creation to Lucasfilm and Disney in 2012. While he’s no longer involved with Star Wars from a creative standpoint, people like Ford are not losing sight of the fact that if it weren’t for Lucas, there would be no scoundrels like Han Solo to tell more stories about.



[Screen Rant]