Publicity Photos of Harrison Ford as Hans Solo With Stormtrooper Blaster for ‘Star Wars’, 1977

Watch out! Han Solo is coming to get you!

Han Solo is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise created by George Lucas. The character first appeared in the 1977 film Star Wars portrayed by Harrison Ford.

Harrison Ford was not immediately cast for the role of Han Solo, as Lucas had already used him in the film American Graffiti and wanted somebody new for the role. He hired Ford to rehearse lines with other actors and he was so impressed by the actor’s performance that he eventually gave him the role.

Solo appeared in early drafts of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. The character would have been revealed as having been raised by Chewbacca on Kashyyyk, and would help Yoda locate General Grievous. Some concept art of a 10-year-old Han Solo was made, but Lucas decided to omit the character’s appearance from the film before any actor was cast or considered for the role.

Ford, believing his character should die, was reluctant to sign onto the sequels of Star Wars. Han Solo’s death in The Force Awakens came about when writer/director J. J. Abrams felt the character was not evolving or contributing to the story’s development; he believed that Kylo Ren killing his own father would give him a chance to develop into a worthy successor for Darth Vader. Solo’s appearance in the film was influenced by that of Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) in True Grit (2010) during early concept development.