For legendary screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan, the chance to write Solo: A Star Wars Story was like reuniting with an old friend.
Kasdan famously penned the scripts for The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and The Force Awakens, making him responsible for crafting much of Han Solo’s character arc from selfish smuggler to reluctant rebel leader and back again.
This week, Kasdan and his son, Jonathan, who also serves as co-writer on the new Solo film, paid a visit to The Star Wars Show to talk about their inspiration for the forthcoming standalone, that special bond between pilots and co-pilots, and the importance of found families in Star Wars lore. They also reveal fresh insights into the writing process, including the importance of penning actual lines for resident Wookiee, Chewbacca, to give context to every whimper and roar.
“Han was always my favorite character,” the elder Kasdan says. “He was a living person in my life, and like any living person you wonder about what was their youth like? How did they get to be the person that I met much later?”
But don’t expect Solo: A Star Wars Story to fill in Han’s origin story, Jonathan Kasdan says. “What we started with in A New Hope was a very cynical guy, and it allowed for a character arc that sort of naturally lent itself to this movie, which is — How do you become a cynical guy?”
For more insights on Solo: A Star Wars Story ahead of its debut May 25, 2018, you can watch this week’s episode below for the full interview and much more Star Wars news.
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