Jon Kasdan Reveals Anthony Ingruber Auditioned for ‘Solo’, Plus More Interesting Bits
Co-writer on Solo: A Star Wars Story, Jon Kasdan, recently took to Twitter to answer some questions about the movie and express his opinion about the movie’s reception and performance at the box office. He also addressed the casting of Han Solo and why Alden Ehrenreich was chosen over the popular fan pick Anthony Ingruber, whom many had been lobbying for prior to the casting announcement.
First up, Kasdan shares his thoughts behind the decision to literally make the Millennium Falcon a character in the saga. She’s not just a ship anymore. She has a personality all her own, which is something that actually makes a lot of sense in hindsight of the original films. The new additions to the Falcon‘s backstory really enrich its presence in the saga, adding new meaning to the scenes where Threepio “talks” to the Falcon, expressing his confusion concerning the ship’s peculiar dialect and where it learned to communicate.
Working with C & P early on, we asked (or rather THEY asked) what are some ways we can enrich people’s experience of the other movies. We all thought of the MF as a character with a long history PRIOR to our story. L3 becomes a part of its personality, the prickly, sarcastic part https://t.co/zyLYzxch7c
— Jon Kasdan (@JonKasdan) June 1, 2018
During Ron Howard’s ongoing Twitter promotion of the film during its production, he mentioned that the characters Tag and Bink from the popular parody comic would be making an appearance in the movie. Alas, they didn’t make it into the final cut of the film, but Kasdan assured that there are deleted scenes with the characters that will be on the blu-ray. It also looks like we’ll get to actually see Han getting kicked out of the academy, something that was only mentioned in the movie.
Can’t wait for you to see those deleted scenes on the blu-ray. They’re pretty fun and feature cameos by the most important characters in the entire sw canon: tag and bink.
— Jon Kasdan (@JonKasdan) May 30, 2018
Sadly, #Tag&Bink were left on the cutting room floor despite my strong objection. Look for them in the deleted scenes. They were there, working menial security jobs when Han was brought before the disciplinary committee at the Imperial Academy at Carida.
— Jon Kasdan (@JonKasdan) May 27, 2018
When asked about the character Enfys Nest, Kasdan shared who inspired her creation…
Thank the incomparable @Maisie_Williams ’cause we knew wanted a character in Star Wars that at least ASPIRED to be, like, a fraction as bad-ass as ARYA STARK. https://t.co/CTf7pi3Xit
— Jon Kasdan (@JonKasdan) June 1, 2018
He also talked about Lord and Miller’s contribution to the character and her gang…
Enfys & gang have been a part of all the drafts. It was Chris and Phil who latched onto the idea of calling them Cloud Riders from the comics. They wanted to riff on the idea of a Star Wars biker gang, but I think (and am grateful) they were always determined to make it their own
— Jon Kasdan (@JonKasdan) May 28, 2018
Kasdan also confirmed the real-world filming locations for the movie’s various planets…
Savareen was the island of Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands. Vandor was the Dolomites in Italy. Corellia was shot outside London. And everything else was created at Pinewood Studios.
— Jon Kasdan (@JonKasdan) May 27, 2018
And here’s one for you beverage connoisseurs out there…
That’s straight out of the Extended Universe (or Legends). Savareen is known throughout the galaxy for its excellent brandy. You can look if up.
— Jon Kasdan (@JonKasdan) May 26, 2018
After humorously addressing the elephant in the cockpit, Jon expressed that which he is concerned the most with – are people liking his movie?
Look, “fell short of expectations” isn’t what anyone hopes to hear in the bedroom or at the box office but, mostly, I’m just thrilled by the reaction to #Solo. And if ya want more #underworld stories, keep askin’ Disney and Lucasfilm for ’em! Believe it or not, they listen.
— Jon Kasdan (@JonKasdan) May 30, 2018
I have to agree with Jon’s viewpoint, here. The overall reception of Solo from those who have seen the movie has been overwhelmingly positive, and the box office performance, although less than hoped for, is nothing to laugh at.
Granted, production problems may have necessitated a larger return to cover the additional cost associated with the production of the film, but I feel fairly confident that this movie will have done fairly well at the end of its run. The financial success of Solo will be in its longevity, and hopefully the positive word of mouth will continue to prevail giving this movie the legs that it needs.
But as a writer, Kasdan seems to be concerned with the right thing (was the movie good?), and I believe that question has been answered by the fans and casual movie-goers alike. People are also really enjoying Alden Ehrenreich’s take on the character, which is a big plus that the film has going for it. But some fans are not content that their pick for a young Han Solo didn’t make it into the film.
After Kasdan’s comment that people should continue to ask for this type of film because Disney and Lucasfilm are indeed listening to the fans, one somewhat disgruntled user expressed doubt over this statement, basically pointing out that if Disney was really paying attention, they would have given actor Anthony Ingruber (who played a young version of Harrison Ford’s character in Age of Adeline) a chance at the role. Kasdan also responded to this tweet to clarify the issue.
Anthony Ingruber DID audition for Chris & Phil, along with hundreds of other talented actors. But special attention was given to Anthony because we HAD heard about him from fans and admired his work in Adeline. Ultimately Alden won the part & personally I love what he did with it
— Jon Kasdan (@JonKasdan) May 31, 2018
It’s clear to me that the creators of the film saw something special in Ehrenreich that ultimately led to him winning out over the fan-favorite Ingruber. It’s still nice to see that they gave him his audition, even going as far as to give him “special attention”. But there is a fine line between listening to what the fans want and doing what is best for the movie.
As a fan, I don’t agree with every decision Lucasfilm has made in the franchise, but casting Ehrenreich as Han is not one them. I thought he carried the movie quite well, and although I was apprehensive going in, he won me over in the film as I’m sure he did for the folks at Lucasfilm during the casting process. It’s no question that Anthony Ingruber is a talented individual in his own right, having most recently delivered a stellar voice performance as the Joker in Telltale Games’ Batman video game series.
Like or not, Ingruber is not our new Han Solo, but Alden did a fantastic job in my opinion, and I really hope we’ll get to see him reprise the role in the future.
Jordan Pate is Co-Lead Editor and Senior Writer for Star Wars News Net, of which he is also a member of the book and comic review team. He loves all things Star Wars, but when he's not spending time in the galaxy far far away, he might be found in our own galaxy hanging out in Gotham City or at 1407 Graymalkin Lane, Salem Center, NY.
