Star WarsCelebration didn’t reveal nearly as much about the future of the franchise on the movie side of things as fans had hoped, but any news that was revealed got left in the dust in the wake of San Diego Comic-Con. DuringStar WarsCelebration, there were more interviews than anyone could possibly have kept up with. That being the case, some of those kind of got buried and it looks like some big news got lost in the shuffle. The big news being that Han Solo andHayden Christensenwill not be inRogue One: A Star Wars Story.
The fan siteStar Wars Underworldhas uncovered a couple of interviews with Extra fromStar WarsCelebration that made these confirmations seperately. Starting with Han Solo, there have been prominent rumors that everyone’s favorite smuggler was going to be making a cameo in the movie. It would make some sense, given the timeline and that Disney and Lucasfilm officially confirmedAlden Ehrenreichfor the part in the young Han Solo movie. However, during Celebration, directorGareth Edwardstackled this rumor head on. Here is what he had to say.
“I’m not sure if I’m allowed to do this, but I think I should…Han Solo’s not in the movie.”
The fact that Han Solo is not going to be in the movie is very significant, because the timeline forRogue Onewill bump up very closely toA New Hope. If the decision had been made to putEhrenreichin the movie in any capacity, it would have been much closer to replacingHarrison Fordas Han Solo, as opposed to him being a younger version of the character. That means the rumors of Disney and Lucasfilm planning a prequel trilogy withEhrenreichas Han Solo would make more sense, because they can fit it into a timeline of their choosing.
The revelation that Han Solo will be absent fromRogue Onewasn’t the only bit that Extra was able to squeeze out ofStar Warscreatives. Extra also talked briefly to Lucasfilm PresidentKathleen Kennedyand were able to get her to debunk a long standing rumor.Kennedycleared the air, likely to the delight of mostStar Warsfans, and confirmed thatHayden Christensenwill also not be in the movie. Here is what she had to say when asked about it point blank.
“No. That is not true. I can confirm that. He is not.”
Rumors had been persisting thatChristensenmay be involved in the newStar Warsmovies for quite some time. A popular theory was that he was going to appear inThe Force Awakensas aforce ghost, but that obviously did not come to pass. Again, probably for the better in terms of keeping fans happy. We do know thatDarth Vaderis going to appear inRogue Oneand will be voiced once again byJames Earl Jones. However, we don’t know who will be playing him in the suit. So, it was possible thatChristensenwould have been reprising the role, as he was last seen in full Vader garb at the end ofRevenge of the Sithin 2005. That will not be the case, according toKennedy.
It looks like we are going to have to wait untilPhil LordandChris Miller’s Han Solo spinoff movie comes out in 2018 to see whatAlden Ehrenreichcan bring to the iconic role, but that may not be the worst thing. It also looks likeHayden Christensenwon’t be heading back to a galaxy far far away any time soon, and that seems like a fairly wise decision on the part of Lucasfilm. you’re able to check out the full interviews withKathleen KennedyandGareth Edwardsfor yourself below.
