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‘Star Wars: Episode 7′: 10 Pros and Cons of Original Cast Returning
by Ben Kendrick
(11 of 10)
Top 10 Pros and Cons of Returning Cast Members in 'Star Wars: Episode 7'
Ever since it was first announced that Disney would purchase Lucasfilm with the intention of making more Star Wars movies, fans were left to debate (and dream) about potential story details. Of course, every longtime fan of the Galaxy Far, Far Away has their own idea about where they'd like to see the creative team (producer Kathleen Kennedy, director J.J. Abrams, and screenwriter Michael Arndt) take the series going forward - be it a fresh continuation of the Skywalker family story, an adaptation of already-existing Expanded Universe material, or a completely new (and never before seen) direction with very few returning characters.
However, recent reports have begun to rule-out the latter - indicating that not only will we likely see the return of fan-favorite characters, we'll also see the return of their respective fan-favorite actors. While there's been no official confirmation that Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, or Mark Hamill will reprise their roles, the more we learn about the upcoming trilogy, the more likely these casting reports sound.
Which brings us to the central question, and one that has been raging in the comment sections of our Star Wars news write-ups: will the return of the iconic cast members, after over 30 years away from the franchise, help or hurt Star Wars: Episode VII (and beyond)?
Here are our 10 Pros and Cons of Returning Cast Members in Star Wars: Episode VII.
However, recent reports have begun to rule-out the latter - indicating that not only will we likely see the return of fan-favorite characters, we'll also see the return of their respective fan-favorite actors. While there's been no official confirmation that Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, or Mark Hamill will reprise their roles, the more we learn about the upcoming trilogy, the more likely these casting reports sound.
Which brings us to the central question, and one that has been raging in the comment sections of our Star Wars news write-ups: will the return of the iconic cast members, after over 30 years away from the franchise, help or hurt Star Wars: Episode VII (and beyond)?
Here are our 10 Pros and Cons of Returning Cast Members in Star Wars: Episode VII.
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If old characters come back in the new trilogy I hope that they will just play small supporting roles and clear the way for new ones.
I agree, new characters would be waaay better, but have luke and han solo there as side characters or something cuz I wanna see what has happened to their characters. leia too I guess…
Disagree. They are such iconic characters, why relegate them to “small supporting roles”? They do not have to headline, but they should have both meaningful and substantial roles in the films.
The only way i want them to come back is if the story is about their children. But if its another movie about them i will not watch. No offense but their old and there’s no need for them to carry on another movie. Supporting roles will be ok and understandable. Bring on more bad ass Light Saber Fights!!!
I agree. Will all do respect to Fisher, Ford and Hamill (and I DO have a lot of respect for them), it’s time to pass the torch to a new generation of Star Wars characters/figureheads, and therefore expect this to happend early on in Episode 7. The one with the Solo twins, Jaina and Jacen, would definitely be interesting.
* “With” all do respect[...] darn-it!
You mean “With all DUE respect?”
hmmm see the points you have to made, and they are good ones alll I have to say is that we will have to wait and see. Personally I do hope they decide to work with and around the EU some intsead of hitting it with a wrecking ball like TCWs did, I mean the Thrawn heir to the empire triolgy helped BRING back Star Wars in the first place, and the resurgance does have quite a bit to thank them for, even though I dont care about the yuzhan vong war myself(personaly I dont care what happens to that too much). Zahn and Andersons work on the other hand is an entirely different matter, and does not deserve to be decanonized
As a huge fan of the original trilogy, I’m still somewhat skeptical on the whole notion of doing a new trilogy. The hiring of Abrams was certainly a step in the right direction and got me excited, but I just look at how great the story was in the original trilogy and I wonder if I really want more movies. I hope these new films have high quality and are not just shameless cash grabs.
Harrison Ford looked great in Indy 4 for an old man, and a lot better than Hamill and Fisher unfortunately.
I’m looking forward to Star Wars VII. I hope the film makers come up with fusion-powered X-wings. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUrt186pWoA
I don’t think any of the original actors could flub-up enough to rate them worse than either incarnation of Anakin Skywalker.
There’s still a lot of area for character development.
You could show an old, bitter Luke struggling to drum up enough interest to teach a younger group of Jedi Knights, following a lifetime of battle and death against the remnants of the empire. The guilt of all the evil his father did, etc. etc.
Leia and Han could be separated, leading different lives. He could be the ruler of his own little smuggler kingdom like Jabba was previously, she could be a cold, brittle politician (think a non-smiling Nancy Pelosi) struggling to piece together the fragile fragments of the old Republic.
Actually, any of those scenarios would be better than seeing young Anakin or Leia in ANY form. yuck. (To this day I can’t believe those actors were chosen…)
Opportunities abound.
Agree, agree, agree!
Am I the only one who’d prefer if Disney would just release the original trilogy unedited on Blu-Ray rather than make all new Star Wars movies?
Absolutely agree. Did a little research though and they don’t have the rights. Fox has them in perpetuity for the original movie and for a few more years for Empire and Jedi. I wiould kill for a high quality version of the originals. I heard the originals looked terrible on the DVD release.
They don’t look terrible on the DVD release, they just look average. I have all the theatricle editions. They look better than the VHS, but not by much. They were released as a bonus feature, so the sound and picture aren’t really improved at all.
Still, they’re worth getting. As of now, it’s the only way to get the original versions on disc. And DVD’s last longer and are more convenient than VHS tapes.
If you’re a die hard fan, I would HIGHLY recomend getting them. As far as I know, the best deals are on Amazon.
I got the special edition DVDs when they were first released (2004/2005?), but then got the trilogy that had the original editions as bonus discs when that was released just for those versions. the big disappointment is they they aren’t in the proper aspect ratio on an HD TV. Like they wanted to make it look crappy or something.
Still, I would watch those originals over the special editions. The best version that I remember was the early 90′s VHS release in THX.
I’m very excited for new films, but the best move that anyone could make right now (Fox/Disney/whoever) would be to give the *original theatrical versions* of the classic trilogy the high-quality restoration and release that they of all films deserve, and which they have shamefully been denied up to this point.
I also have the 2004 DVD sets that included the original versions as bonus discs, which I am grateful for, but it was such an obviously bare-bones, cheap release. I have no intention of buying the current Blu-Ray set, but I would be the first person in line to buy a genuinely quality release of the REAL films.
Give them the best audio/visual remastering possible, the proper modern aspect ratio, record new commentaries with the actors, include all of the deleted scenes and a rich array of the existing documentaries as bonus features, and Fox or whomever will make a lot of money. As far as I know, it was just George Lucas and his strange mentality that prevented this from happening before? Anyway, I hope that with him stepping back, more good things will happen now.
It did seem like George Lucas was kicking sand in our faces by begrudgingly releasing the original cuts with shoddy sound and picture quality. It was kind of a diss because no one liked his meddling special additions that he kept tweaking again and again whenever he had a spare weekend and another sh*tty idea on how to “improve” them.
It was a punishment for not towing his line.
I posted my thoughts about this on another site but they apply here so I’ll say it again…
I’m all for Hamill, Fisher and Ford coming back for Episodes 7-9. Their characters don’t have to be nor should they be the focus of the films so there’s plenty of ways to include them that won’t feel forced or intrusive.
And come on… Come late next year when we see the first poster or image of them as those characters again I will have a full on code-red geek-attack.
I guess I’m the only one who is NOT excited for these star wars sequels. I never understood the hype behind them, they are decent movies but they aren’t as great as fanboys make them out to be. I enjoy the comics though.
How old are you? Honest question, not a dig.
Didn’t Peter Mayhew die?
No, Mayhew is still alive
Yeah, still milking fans for his autographs.
He seems nicer doing it though. David Prowse seems more like he’s milking it when he’s sat there with his manager taking money. The guy is pretty ill though, and hasn’t been in much else, so I don’t blame him.
I’m thinking a lot of it would hinge on Luke as the “Obi-Wan” “Mr. Myagi” of the group. IMO – his was the most exciting transformation in the original trilogy; from fiery-eyed farm boy to slick and tough warrior. I think an aged, wiser, even more Yoda-like Luke would realy center things if he had a batch of new “Young Luke”s to mold into Jedi. His pressence would make the most sense in the new series.
I’m super excited for this. I can see a bit of the skepticism but I think some of it stems from the fact that the prequels have scared us into thinking new Star Wars films will always fail. I believe Disney knows what their doing and the hiring of Abrams is s positive sign. He might not have the best track record in the world but he’s the best bet for making a successful Star Wars movie.
Disney are a bunch of greedy bastards. They did not have to buy star wars, they should at least split the money with Dark Horse. As awful as star wars is, Dark Horse Comics has been keeping it relevant & consistent.
Yeah, because only greedy people fork over BILLIONS of dollars for things.
Is it just me or am I the only one who hopes that Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher are already on diets to slim down a bit …. I mean a fat Jedi Master…. really …
Yes I do hope they get them on diets. It is amazing what a nice paycheck can motivate an actor to do. I guess in older age there is prob. much less motivation, but I would love to see Mark get fit again, especially fit enough to wield a lightsaber convincingly. Can’t wait to see him bust out his faithful green saber on screen again.
As long as hayden christianson comes back.
If he comes back as a “Force ghost,” I will roll over in my grave, and I’m not even dead yet. Sebastian Shaw!
Troll.
They should cast Sebastian Shaw’s real ghost for the role of Anakin’s Force-ghost. I can’t believe he’s beenn dead nearly 20 years and nobody thought of even trying that.
LOL!
“Han Solo steps on Jabba the Hut’s tail in the Episode 1 Special Edition(after shooting Greedo second)…”
You meant the Episode IV Special Edition.
And to the person who stated “As long as Hayden Christianson comes back”… are you kidding!
Good catch. Fixed.
the solution to have these 3 is simple – have them return as supporting cast, with the movie set enough years after the last one to justify why the original cast are old and unable ot fight like they once did. this could also be used to cut the bs in explaining things like luke getting it with that jedi/sith woman, han and leila’s marriage etc etc.
i don’t think it will be too hard to squeeze this trio in whilst introducing new faces to carry the following 2 sequels. i honestly don’t think these guys are fit or capable of even moving like they did in the original trilogy (even if they where only doing simple movements compared to the 1-3 actors).
on a side note, i think zac snyder would be a great director, if someone else writes the script, he could really draw people into the fights with his great use of CG and slo-mo, as well as create great vistas to create a sense of a larger universe that the original trilogy didnt really accomplish that well.
Snyder needs to prove himself yet. Dawn of the Dead was decent, 300 was lame, Watchmen was shallow and empty, and Sucker Punch is virtually unwatchable. I’m gonna give Man of Steel a chance, but if he s**ts the bed with that one, I’m going to petition to have him blacklisted.
I understand different opinions with movies like 300 and Sucker Punch, but “Watchmen was shallow and empty” really? that one was very thought provoking! And I don’t think that is one to judge Snyder on. It was based off of the comic really straight forward, his only real job was to capture the imagery from the comic and put it on screen, and he did an AMAZING job at that.
That being said, I do agree that I don’t know if he’s ready for Star Wars. Man of Steel will be the one where I really judge how good of a director he is (when it comes to more “original” prejects). Just saying, Dawn of the Dead was a remake, 300 was a comic adaptation, Watchemen was a comic adaptation, Sucker Punch sucked (that one being a film with a more original script and story) so let’s see how Man of Steel turns out.
Sorry there is really no argument here, this MUST happen. There are only PROs, adios.
As long as we see ships from the Original Trilogy in action I’m good.
Oh yes! The Millenium Falcon and the occasional X-Wing are a must.
I agree with eveyone here that the best solutuion is to have returning actors play supporting roles, and have new characters and actors (GOOD ones) lead the films. Han, Leia, Lando, ones like that can be backround characters (like the other rebels in the original trilogy) and have Luke take over te Obi wan/Alec Guiness Jedi role from the original trilogy (whether Luke is in living physical form, or ghost) he can be in just a couple scenes as the old wise Jedi who guides the lead characters.
As long as they learn from the mistakes of the prequels (and the Lucas “Changes”) we should have nothing to worry about. But, returning cast members IS important, it can’t just be ALL new cast. One thing that the prequels did benefit from was the return of people like Frank Oz, Ian Mcdiarmid, Peter Mayhew, Kenny Baker and Anthony Daniels (not saying the C3-PO part was WRITTEN well, but it was nice to see the actor/character back).
Like I said, have strong new cast of characters lead the films, bring back some of the old cast for supporting roles, learn from the mistakes of the prequels, and learn from the mistakes of the Lucas changes. We already have a good direcor and writer, so as long as they do these things, I think Episode 7-9 will be great
I was just wondering if they bring jar jar back and decide to do him a la Jackson. Who should play him. I’m thinking Tobey McGuire
I was just wondering if they bring jar jar back and decide to do him a la Jackson. Who should play him. I’m thinking Tobey McGuire.
I think that Ford, Hammil & Fischer are the only ones who can save the franchise after the debochery done by parts 1-3….
Whatever the hell “debochery” is…
It honestly would be cool to see an aged Jar Jar maybe working with Leia on rebuilding the Old Republic.
There’s a (non canon) OT comic were its revealed that his apparent son Abstro Binks helped Leia when she was being chased on Tantive IV, by disgising himself as the princess. He also tells how Jar Jar would smuggle him toys for presents past Imperial blockades.
So, Jar Jar was basically Santa Claus?
Jar Jar ruined many a Christmas.
I’m hoping that they touch on the “chosen one” theme since it was obvious to me that a Skywalker was indeed the one talked about in Jedi legend, they just chose the wrong one (it was Luke rather than Anakin) and the internal struggle Luke would’ve been going through when he realised that.
I can imagine living with that and the kind of murderous rampage his father did both before he was born and then during the original trilogy would weigh heavy on him for the rest of his life and lead to him becoming as cynical and grumpy as Han was initially.
“The chosen one” is such a cheesy movie macguffin. I groaned everytime they mentioned it in those horrible prequels.
Okay, we’ll go with “The Golden Child” instead of “The Chosen One”, then.
If Luke, Leia and Han are written tastefully into a smart screenplay, it will be great to have Hamill, Fisher and Ford back. Conversely, it could be a mess if handled wrongly.
The Star Wars galaxy is very broad. There have been, and there contiues to be, vast potential for new characters and storylines to be developed. I hope that the filmakers take advantage of that potential instead of just recycling what has alread been done.
Frankly, Darth Vader was a great character, but I think that we have had quite enough of Anakin Skywalker at this point. I would love to see Luke, though. In the old days, I perceived him as being the main character.
Seven Samurai-inspired Jedi movie was done already in Clone Wars TV Show kind off ! Was pretty good by the way !
I want to do the Star Wars TV series.
That would have been great,but with Disney now at the helm..God who knows how this would turn out !