'Star Wars: Episode 7': Harrison Ford open to returning for a new film, sources say

Unnamed sources are saying 'Star Wars' actor Harrison Ford is 'open to the idea of doing the movie.'

Last week, there was a great disturbance in the force, as if millions of nerds cried out and were suddenly silenced. Okay, maybe it wasn’t that dramatic, but it was a pretty big deal when Disney bought Lucasfilm and announced plans for a new series of Star Wars sequels.

Since then, we’ve debated the pros and cons of the news, and have also reported on all of the speculation about Star Wars: Episode 7, including today’s rumor that X-Men: First Class director Matthew Vaughn is in the running to direct the film. 

Now, we’ve got another interesting piece of news to share. According to an exclusive report from Geoff Boucher (who has happily landed on his feet at Entertainment Weekly after leaving his gig at the L.A. Times), none other than Han Solo himself has allegedly expressed interest in returning to a galaxy far, far away.

The report quotes sources close to Harrison Ford who say that the iconic actor is “open to the idea of doing the movie” and, moreover, is “upbeat about it.” Obviously, being “open” to doing the movie is a long stretch from actually doing it, and it’s not like the 70-year-old actor is getting any younger. However, if he’s genuinely interested in returning to one of his most famous roles, it can only be a good thing for Star Wars fans.

After all, this is the same actor who told ABC News back in 2010 that he didn’t actually like playing the character of Han Solo that much and was actually hoping that Lucas would kill him off in Return of the Jedi, quipping that he didn’t because “George didn’t think there was any future in dead Han toys.”

Presumably, if Ford returned to the big screen for a Star Wars sequel, it would be alongside his two costars, Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) and Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia). In a recent interview, Hamill discussed plans for the sequels to focus on entirely new stories to satisfy fans’ desires for “more and more and more material.”

Nevertheless, it’s entirely possible that Lucas and company could throw in the original trio in expanded cameo roles, much in the same way that Leonard Nimoy played an important role in the new Star Trek film.

Whatever path they decide to take, it’s certainly an exciting development to learn that Ford is interested in returning to one of the film’s that catapulted him to worldwide fame. I was one of the few people that actually enjoyed Ford in Indiana Jones 4, so I would be more than happy to see him strap on the blaster one more time as Han Solo.

What do you think? Is Harrison Ford a must-have for Star Wars: Episode 7 and beyond, or should they start completely fresh with no original characters?

Rob Frappier blogs at Screen Rant.