The Tom Hanks Star Wars Cameo That Never Came To Be
The original 1977 "Star Wars" is a miracle of a film. George Lucas' blockbuster could have gone wrong at any moment for a variety of reasons, yet it not only got made and released but became a monumental success (spawning one of the biggest movie franchises ever). Part of why the film and its first two sequels remain so impressive all these decades later is their simple story, vast worldbuilding, groundbreaking special effects, and impeccable casting of mostly little-known actors who would go on to become huge after the films hit theaters.
That sentiment extends to the greater franchise, which has launched several careers and given small roles to actors who would eventually break out in a big way. That's not to say the original "Star Wars" didn't feature any famous actors at the time, of course, be it Alec Guinness and Peter Cushing in the original trilogy, or Samuel L Jackson, Christopher Lee, and Jimmy Smits in the prequels. Almost as long is the list of actors who were nearly in a "Star Wars" movie at some point, including the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Kurt Russell, and Michael Jackson.
Turns out, we can add another name to that list — none other than beloved actor and America's Dad, Tom Hanks. The multi-Oscar-winner himself confirmed that he came very close to visiting a galaxy far, far away while talking to Josh Horowitz on the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast.
Everyone wants to be a stormtrooper
As Hanks told it, his "Splash" and "Apollo 13" director Ron Howard offered him a small role as a stormtrooper in the filmmaker's "Solo: A Star Wars Story," and it almost happened. "I would have done that," Hanks said, but scheduling didn't work out. "I couldn't get there in time."
Because of their armor and helmets, the stormtrooper has become a great avenue for cameo appearances in the Disney era of "Star Wars." The likes of Daniel Craig, Tom Hardy, Kevin Smith, Ed Sheeran, and Karl Urban have all cameoed as stormtroopers in "Star Wars" movies, and even on TV, Jason Sudeikis and Adam Pally played stormtroopers in "The Mandalorian" (although that show has never been hurting for cameos in general, for better or for worse).
It makes sense that everyone would want to cameo in a big "Star Wars" project. With that in mind, there is something to be said about the franchise featuring more established actors than before during its Disney era. Sure, Daisy Ridley wasn't super known when she first played Rey, and neither was Oscar Isaac and John Boyega, but "The Force Awakens" still featured Gwendoline Christie, Adam Driver, Andy Serkis, and Lupita Nyong'o. "The Last Jedi" added Laura Dern and Benicio del Toro to the mix, while "Rise of Skywalker" also brought Keri Russell and Dominic Monaghan onboard.
For that matter, "Solo: A Star Wars Story" — the movie Hanks was supposed to appear in — starred the likes of Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, and Donald Glover, none of whom could be called unknown character actors. It's certainly something to think about.