I am having a very hard time keeping track of all of the off shoots to the Star Wars Universe. I’m a pretty big Star Wars fan so it’s not lack of interest. But I can’t keep straight the backstories, new stories and prequels to the prequels. We have been hearing about the Han Solo spinoff for a while. The film will supposedly cover a young (but not child) Han Solo about the time that he wins the Millennium Falcon from Lando Calrissian. We know there were multiple rounds of testing – practically endless, one might say – before deciding on Alden Ehrenreich for Han and Donald Glover as Lando. The same thought and effort went into the female lead, apparently, and after several rounds of tests, Emilia Clarke landed the role. Cue the Game of Thrones/Star Wars crossover jokes:
Westeros and a galaxy far, far away are colliding! “Game of Thrones” breakout Emilia Clarke is joining the “Star Wars” Han Solo spinoff.
Clarke will star opposite Alden Ehrenreich and Donald Glover, who play Solo and fellow smuggler Lando Calrissian, respectively.
All three leads endured grueling testing sessions for the standalone pic. The tests date back to the beginning of the year when thousands of actors first began meeting and reading for the role of the title character that Ehrenreich eventually nabbed.
“Selma” and “Creed” star Tessa Thompson, “Power Rangers” actress Naomi Scott, and Zoe Kravitz read for the female lead in October. Another group, which included Clarke, “Dope’s” Kiersey Clemons, fellow “Thrones” actress Jessica Henwick, and “Emerald City” star Adria Arjona tested in London. Clarke ultimately landed the role.
I like Emilia in that I find her really cute in interviews. I have watched some GoT but I am not too familiar with her work outside that. As I’m currently fascinated with Tessa Thompson, I find it hard to believe she didn’t get the role but she has Thor: Ragnorak so she doesn’t need another franchise. We really don’t know what the role is so it’s hard to say who should be cast in it. Popular thought is the female lead might be Sana Starros who claimed to have married Solo to cover a bank robbery but Solo denied happened. If so, it would certainly be a twist on the usual “girlfriend” role.
The movie is expected May 2018. I am among the unpopular few who thought Star Wars: The Force Awakens was just okay. So my enthusiasm for these movies has not ramped up yet, although I do I appreciate their strong female leads and all inclusive casting. Since the major GoT characters are expected to wrap by the end of this year, Emilia won’t have to worry about schedule conflicts. Emilia’s casting does make me wonder if the Star Wars Universe wouldn’t benefit greatly from a dragon or two, though. I mean, what wouldn’t? Speaking of things that only improve the SWU, I just found out the character Admiral Raddus, a Mon Calamari officer in Rogue One, was inspired by Winston Churchill. Along with dragons, I think the inclusion of Winston Churchill makes anything better. I think I’ll write my own Lando/Churchill spinoff in which Emilia teaches both to ride a dragon.
Speaking of people that need to join the Star Wars Universe – Emilia with Joanna Lumley
Photo credit: WENN Photos
