Han Solo Actor Alden Ehrenreich Has One Condition To Return To Star Wars

There are several reasons why "Solo: A Star Wars Story" crashed and burned upon arrival in 2018 — oversaturating the market with too many franchise installments, the behind-the-scenes turmoil lending a pervasive atmosphere of bad press surrounding the project, the fact that it was titled "Solo: A Star Wars Story," etc. — but none of them had to do with Alden Ehrenreich's performance as a young Han Solo. The actor had to fight an uphill battle from the start, tasked with the unenviable challenge of filling the shoes of no less a star than Harrison freakin' Ford. And once original directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller were shown the door, whatever their off-the-wall ideas for the fan-favorite character's origin story went with them. The final result was a young, exciting performer shouldering most of the blame for an entire production that felt misguided from the start.

Ehrenreich has since gone on to shake off this disastrous setback and remind everyone of the potential that directors Joel and Ethan Coen saw when they cast him in the underrated gem "Hail, Caesar!" Serious dramas such as "Fair Play" and Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer" proved that he can handle any heavy material thrown his way, but scene-stealing roles in "Ironheart" and especially "Weapons" emphasized that this industry has been wasting his talents all along. But, in classic "Star Wars" fashion, maybe there's some redemption on the horizon?

While speaking with Collider in a recent interview, Ehrenreich was asked about his experience filming "Solo" and whether he'd ever consider a return to the role. While he remains careful and diplomatic about the troubled shoot, he does admit that he's willing and interested to strap on that blaster once more ... under one condition. As he explained, with an important caveat:

"It would have to really, really be the right version of it."

As Disney and Lucasfilm slowly figure out where to take the franchise next, could another adventure involving young Han Solo be in the cards? Remember, a Lando Calrissian project starring returning actor Donald Glover was in development as recently as 2023, and it would hardly take much maneuvering to bring Alden Ehrenreich's take on the gunslinger into the action. A not-insignificant portion of the fanbase has cropped up and coalesced around "Solo: A Star Wars Story" in recent years, and anything that brings new actors into the mix (as opposed to clinging to the aging remnants of the original trilogy cast) sounds like a good idea to me. With all that said, however, would returning to the scene of the "crime" make sense for those of us who want to see Ehrenreich continue to branch out?

Elsewhere in the Collider interview, Ehrenreich commented more generally on the idea of navigating less-than-ideal circumstances during a film shoot:

"Your job as an actor, in a way, is to use the energy that's happening [around you]. And sometimes that energy involves stress, but characters are under stress. There are very few characters who are just having a ball. So it's contributive sometimes. As long as it's an environment where people feel safe."

One can practically sense the exhaustion dripping from his words, which makes one wonder whether reprising his role as Han Solo — even on a different, smoother production with no creative turnover whatsoever — would truly be worth it. After all, the actor has since shown off a broad range of tones and styles over the last few years, with more still to come. Nobody would blame Ehrenreich for securing that bag (as the kids say) with another Disney paycheck but, respectfully, isn't that what "Ironheart" was for? Watching him steal scenes in "Oppenheimer" and "Weapons" has been a wonderful refresher of just what this actor is capable of under the guidance of the best filmmakers around. Going back to a galaxy far, far away would feel like a lateral career move ... if not a giant step backwards.

"Weapons" is still in theaters nationwide.