A place to talk about Han and Leia and about reading about them and writing about them.
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
Harrison and Others Making the Talk Show Rounds
First, let's just appreciate this photo of Harrison walking down the street in Beverly Hills a few weeks ago. How does anyone age this well?
All right, now on to the talk show appearances. I'm hoping I will manage to catch all of them. These three were all from the same day. He appears to be in remarkably good spirits. In fact, probably better spirits than I've ever seen him in interviews. It did occur to me though that maybe part of that is he really can't say anything at all about the actual movie, due to all that secrecy, so maybe the interviews aren't as boring to him? Hopefully not because somewhere in the back of his mind he is thinking, "I never have to do a press tour for Star Wars again, because Han Solo is dead."
Let's show these to you in order of their actual appearances on television. First up we have a nice little interview on Good Morning America.
Looking good here. Let's try not to speculate as to why he had to dodge the "relationship status" question. I'm getting more and more nervous about that the closer this movie gets. Partly because I worry I only have 2 weeks left of thinking they ever got to be happy together. Not included in the video but was on the show earlier, they had said, "We love Harrison Ford" and they cut to him live in the studio saying, "I know." If they don't say that to each other in the movie I'm going o be upset. I'm basically going to be upset about a lot of things in this movie, I think.
Next up another nice interview on Live with Kelly and Michael:
Still looking happy and relaxed and like he is enjoying himself. One thing I had noticed on a lot of talk shows is it's like he talks kind of slow, but there was none of that here. Also of note in this one is the mention of Indiana Jones 5. They just keep talking about a good script. Seriously, I am sure there are some fanboys who have amazing ideas out there somewhere, let them do it! Someone must be able to come up with a good script! Maybe Harrison has relaxed some after his near death experiences this year. Whatever it is, I'm liking this version of him, enjoying interviews and seeming genuinely excited about Star Wars.
Last we have The Tonight Show:
This is not the entire interview, there are a few other clips from it though. This was mostly just crazy silliness, and basically zero discussion about the actual movie. But that's kind of to be expected. Again, having a lot of fun here. His eye that was kind of held open after the accident seems to finally be settling down, too.
Tomorrow, meaning Thursday, Carrie will be on Good Morning America and Live with Kelly and Michael. I suspect she will also say absolutely nothing related to the actual movie. I basically want them all to redo their interviews in 3 weeks once they can finally talk about the actual movie.
Two more weeks. How did that happen?
Lastly, there is a great article online now from Rolling Stone. Let's take a moment to appreciate this quote from Carrie:
“Not long ago, Ford ran into Fisher at a production office. “I went up
to hug him,” she says, “and he did a line from the new movie – this one!
And I didn’t recognize it right away because it was really organic.”
Harrison Ford, quoting Star Wars? “Before it’s quotable!”
Yes, Harrison is even quoting lines from his own movies now, apparently. Hopefully it is a good one.
I can understand why you wouldn't talk about plot, like who the other characters are, etc, but how can the status of Han and Leia's relationship be so hush-hush? The only thing I can determine from that is it's not good and they don't want to piss off fans before the movie is even out. Because honestly, I'm sure the majority of people who saw the OT expected Han and Leia to stay together. The opposite of this is that they were just told not to say ANYTHING about the movie to avoid any kind of slip up. Sigh, I go back and forth between feeling positive and negative, but it just seems weird to me to skirt around the issue when it shouldn't be THAT big of a spoiler....
My last shred of hope is that there is some cute reveal where they make it seem like they aren't together, but really they are. I don't know though. I'm with you on going back and forth between positive and negative in my thoughts about it. Today I'm feeling rather negative about it. I'm worried that not only will we find out Han and Leia aren't together and haven't been for a long time, but that Han will, in fact, die. And that is just going to be incredibly depressing, and ruin how I watch the OT. And I'm going to be forced to watch it all happen 3 times in 24 hours because I already have so many tickets.
Exactly. If it's not such a big deal, just say they're together and make MANY fans happy. There are so many Han/Leia fans out there on twitter who DO NOT want them to be apart. If what Zyra says is true, this plot sounds depressing to me.
Honestly if it's not a big plot point then why not just tell us they aren't together if that's the case? Why so evasive? It almost has to be that they want us uncertain about it when we go in there. Which makes me hopeful for a payoff reveal moment. Where no one including including the new characters, knows they're married and it's a big surprisE when one refers to the other that way.
Jzhanfan about to lock herself in a spoiler free closet for 9 days.
Yeah, he does has a faster talking pace, and is more relaxed. And that mention of his family at the end of the Kelly and Michael clip? So grounded and heartwarming. Made me wonder if family dynamic has helped shift his perspective on Star Wars, helped him enjoy it more. Isn't his youngest son an early teenager now? That's a great age for loving Star Wars. Pure speculation of course, but maybe his son likes Star Wars, so Harrison got to see the films fresh, through the eyes of his son, and developed new appreciation for just how awesome the films are for the audience... Whatever, yeah, it's fun to see relaxed-Harrison.
Yeah the family mention and acknowledging what he put them through was pretty sweet. Because yeah, that is a lot to put on your loved ones. Youngest son is a teenager, yes. Who knows if he even cares about Star Wars. I'm sure his friends do.
Carrie is on twitter, and I'm connected to her. I'm sure that once the movie comes out, many fans will ask her opinion about this and that, and she'll tell them.
On keeping Han and Leia's relationship status secret, my theory is that it's all about keeping Rey's (and Kylo's) identity secret. Clearly TPTB are trying very hard to hide who Rey really is.
If the fans know for sure that Han and Leia got married, the natural next step is thinking they must have had children, and wondering who in the main cast is playing Han and Leia's child. So if Rey is the daughter of H/L (which I am absolutely convinced she is), keeping Han and Leia's marriage a secret helps to keep Rey's identity secret.
That's my theory anyway.
Also, I just found the following article online. No spoilers:
I'm really hoping you're right, LLB. That's pretty much been what my hopes and theories are, but I've also been trying to keep my expectations low for if and when we come to find out that Han and Leia became estranged somewhere along the line. It will kill me if the 'secret identity' theory is wrong. I think I'm finally over the whole EU being non-canon now too. If Han and Leia aren't together . . . I'm going to need serious help, you guys!
I also of course hope you are right. I mean maybe they're just hiding everything? Maybe the reason we've seen so little of Leia (Carrie even joked about that this morning on a talk show, about how we've seen like 3 pictures of her) is because most of the rest of her screen time is with Han? That seems unlikely, but I don't know.
We're going to have to start a support group I think if there is major estrangement or if Han dies. Or Leia dies, but I have no reason to think that will happen. Or of both of those are true I'm really not going to know what to do.
I've been thinking about it and IF Han dies in TFA, and it's a presumed death, then there's the very good possibility he's not actually dead. This is a trilogy and it's possible we believe he's dead and then in episode 8 (or 9, god forbid) we find out he survived. I'd be happy with that. But if he's gone for good..I just can't imagine a SW universe without Han AND Leia. OR without them together. Even an estrangement would be detrimental to the OT love story, imo. I'm just preparing myself for disappointment.
So I'm convinced that Rey is H/L's daughter, too... which then makes me kind of mad at H/L. Because if it really is the case that she's been left on her own since a tender young age, *what the $&*@ were H/L doing to leave a kid alone like that!?*
Or, you know, Andy Serkis is actually their kid. Because we haven't seen him *at all.* Definitely keeping HIS idenity secret! :)
The thing is they would never be able to pull off like making us think he is dead and then bringing him back in a later movie. They couldn't just sneak Harrison onto set for the new movie and nobody would notice. It'd be cool if somehow they could do that but I doubt it.
When Daisy was cast and I saw her picture there was no doubt in my mind she was Han and Leia's. But of course now I don't know.
And it is dawning on me that this movie probably won't even have a real "end" to it because it is the first of a trilogy. And then we have to do this all over again for another year-and-a-half. I suppose I should be grateful that it isn't 3 years like with the OT.
They could say it's for ghosts scenes or flashback scenes which would explain filming for the next movie... like they had ghost scenes in ESB.
Sadly, I think Han gets killed, but my hope is that the final scene we see him hiding somewhere and alive. He needed to throw them off the Empire by thinking he's dead. His loved ones don't know he's alive yet (they learn this in VIII). My theory and hope anyway..
First I want to emphasize these are only my theories and not spoilers...
I think Han dies in TFA, and he is truly dead. I'm OK with that. TFA should have SOME relationship with reality, and everybody has to die sooner or later. It's the circle of life, and besides, Han Solo will live FOREVER because these movies will always be around, not to mention all the novels and comics and fan-fictions, etc. I believe Han Solo has had a very full life, and provided his death is well-done and Leia doesn't get over him too quickly and start dating somebody else (now THAT I would hate, but I really don't think they'll ever go there) I am fine with it.
To the anon above who is worried about H/L coming off as terrible parents, I'm not at all worried. We're applying regular-world rules to mythic characters who live in a world where people have magic powers. There is no doubt in my mind that the TPTB came up with an excellent reason why Rey ended up where she did. IMO, Han and Leia will be victims in this scenario, not neglectful parents.
I have a feeling Harrison Ford will not be coming back for Episode VIII. He's scheduled to start filming Bladerunner 2 soon and then there's Indy 5... I can't see him committing to more than 1 movie, and if he did commit to Episode VII it was probably on the condition that Han play a huge role. I just can't see him agreeing to do Episode VIII and IX when he'll be almost 80 at the time the last one comes out and Han's never been a favourite character of his like Indy. So if Han dies in Episode VII I think it'll be for good.
I don't think they'd pair Leia off with anyone else. This is Hollywood, a woman over 50 who actually looks over 50 isn't going to be seen as a love interest - they'll start focusing on Rey/Finn is my guess in Episide VIII.
What I am afraid of though is that if Han/Leia are separated or divorced for over a decade (this isn't a spoiler just my inference based on what has been released about their characters), if the EU would pair them up with other love interests. Please no!! I think Leia would throw herself into the Rebellion and Han would go back to smuggling if they didn't work out, but I really, really don't want to see them get involved with other people.
Going back to this because I forgot to comment, but yeah, having them with other people would absolutely kill it for me. Devastating. Please, please, no.
Again, this is all just my speculation based on rumors, etc.
I agree that Han is probably going to die and stay dead, but I don't think this has anything to do with Harrison's schedule. It's Mythic Storytelling 101. Rey is the main hero now, and I'm convinced she is H/L's daughter. This is HER story. Mythic heroes are usually orphans. It's a shorthand way for the writers to tell the audience that Rey is a grown-up now, because daddy is no longer around to take care of her. For Rey to truly take center stage on her own, at least one of her parents should die.
I don't believe for a moment that TPTB will ever put Leia with somebody else. I shouldn't have even mentioned that.
And I'm still hopeful that H/L will not be estranged in the new movie after all. With all the heavy drama going on regarding their children, a separation and reconciliation would clutter up the narrative. Besides, there's this quote from Carrie (from People magazine):
In People magazine, Carrie said, "Han and Leia have conflict, but they stick with it. They take the trouble," Fisher explains, "The key with Harrison is taking the trouble to get past any trouble."
Why would Carrie say that Han and Leia "stick with it" and "take the trouble" if they have been estranged for many years? Doesn't make sense.
I agree about the Hero's Journey. It looks like Han wil be playing the mentor in TFA, who inevitably has to die to make room for the heroes. I believe when Harrison said he would only come back for Episode VII, they wrote a story centring around him as the mentor to give him a swan song. Luke will get his stage time in Episode VIII, but I wouldn't be surprised if he dies by the end of it too.
I agree that Han and Leia have way too much going on in terms of exposition when they meet up to also throw in a reconcilliation in there. I can't go into plot details since this is spoiler free, but to me I just can't see how they could get through all the other stuff AND reconcile after an estrangement in the screen time they have together. That's why I'm concerned if they are estranged, they won't do the reunion justice.
I at first though Carrie's comments were encouraging, but could they be interpreted to mean Han and Leia singularly than together as a couple? It's clear that both Han has conflict and Leia has conflict they both deal with in TFA. Did Carrie necessarily mean they were a couple?
And we know from the EW article that Han has gone back to smuggling and is in debt and having trouble accounting for his past actions. If he was married to Leia, why would he be smuggling and in debt? I just can't see any way that would work. Leia presumably has enough money to take care of any financial troubles Han would have..
Also, Carrie's comment that Leia is "solitary" seems to confirm that she is not with Han at the beginning of this movie.
Argh..Either way, I am going to spoil myself on the 14th when people who have watched the movie start posting, because I don't think I could handle walking in to see the movie and not knowing what their relationship status is. I'm okay with Han dying, but I do NOT want them to be broken up.
To the anon above, first on Carrie's quote. Yes, technically that could be taken to mean Han and Leia take the trouble as individuals, but I don't believe for a moment that is what she meant. The quote just doesn't read that way to me at all. And IIRC, that quote was in response to a direct question about Han and Leia's relationship.
As for Carrie's solitary quote...I believe that was a wink and a nod to Daisy's "solitary" quote a few months ago. As you recall, Daisy said that Rey being "solitary" was a clue as to who she was playing. That quote got a ton of attention from the fans and the media, all speculating that Daisy had just dropped a big spoiler.
Daisy and Carrie have apparently become pretty close (they did a joint interview recently, and Daisy watched TFA for the very first time with Carrie) so it's easy to image that they discussed all the hoopla over Daisy's "solitary" quote. And we know that Carrie has a naughty sense of humor. IMO, that was Carrie's sly way of saying that, like Daisy, she is playing a Solo.
As for the EW interview with Harrison, I recall him saying that Han was having money troubles, but nothing confirming that Han had returned to smuggling. And even if he did, so what? Why do we assume that Leia would be rich? Yes, she was a princess but her home world was blown to smithereens, and presumably her family fortune along with it. And even if some of Leia's family fortune was off-planet, Leia seems like the type who would donate most of her money to the Rebellion/Resistance. So it's entirely possible that the Solo family was never that rich.
I'm still bracing myself for the possibility that H/L are estranged, but by no means is it a fargone conclusion.
My reading of the quote is that she is referring to Han and Leia together as well. Does anyone have the full context of the quote? I tried to find the People magazine but couldn't. I would like to believe it's true, but it just seems at odds with everything else we've been hearing.
Interesting interpretation of the solitary comment. I don't know, I mean Carrie is quite close with the Han/Leia fanbase - she retweets from Han/Leia fans all the time on twitter. It would seem kind of cruel for her to make us think Han and Leia aren't together for the sake of wordplay.
Maybe it wasn't the ew interview, but I distinctly remember an interview the JJ Abrams that Han was back to smuggling with Chewie, had several bounties on his head and was spending a lot of time hanging out in bars. Having bounties on his head and hanging out in bars I think he could still be doing while married to Leia - especially if the Resistance is an illegal organization - but I can't really see Leia cool with him smuggling. And Leia might not be rich, but she's a very responsible person and I can't see her having financial problems. Which to me, seems to indicate Han isn't with Leia any more if he's having financial difficulties, unless they have completely separate lives and bank accounts and Leia is just like "Go off and do your own thing Han, if you want to gamble and blow all your money that's your problem and I'm not going to bail you out." I suppose that's possible.
If people do want confirmation on whether they're together or not before they see the movie that's already been leaked but I won't post on here what it is. You can find it on theforce.net forums. Otherwise, we'll all be able to discuss after Dec 17!
You can also email me at ewokkey83@gmail.com if you don't want to wade through the posts on theforce.net forum to get Han and Leia's confirmed relationship status in TFA.
I'm thinking they are mum on the H/L relationship status because it is a major plot point and knowing the answer going in would eliminate much of the suspense.
Just saw her GMA interview. Of course they said nothing at all about the movie. Gary was with her, and she was really funny and had everyone cracking up.
I just want to say, thank goodness for places like this. I feel like a school girl again reading this blog and the fan fiction. Waiting to find out if H/L are still together has been eating me up inside, and I don't get to see the movie until the 19th. Curious, since you'll be seeing the movie on the 17th, before many of us, are you planning and/or able to spoil us with the official status as to whether they are in fact together in TFA?
I'm glad you are enjoying yourself :) You have to wait until Saturday? You're going to have to stay away from the internet. Unless you actually want to be spoiled.
As for what will happen here, my plan is probably to post very soon after I see it. I'm actually seeing it twice in a row on opening night (that wasn't actually intentional, but due to ticket buying craziness just kind of happened with my movie buddies, and we decided to just go with it because why not?) so it is unlikely you'll see anything here until like 1am east coast time, so not before our west coast people either. Or I might just go to sleep, it depends on how worked up I am. I think a lot of us are seeing it night #1. It will take no time at all for the major info to spread all over the internet, especially since many of our European friends will get it a day or two sooner.
So, anyone who does not want to be spoiled, I suggest you stay away from here until you've seen it. Well, not like from now until you've seen it, just from the time I see it until the time you see it. I will not put spoilers in the blog post title. If anyone is seeing it later and wants to know SOME things but not everything, you can feel free to send me a message and I'll only answer your questions.
Unfortunately, I have to wait until Saturday. I'm working 12 hour nights on both the 17th and 18th! Saturday was the first day I'm able to actually go, so the hubs and I are making it a date night. It will be extremely difficult for me to stay away from the Internet on both those nights!
Thanks again for creating this space. I am glad I found it. The only thing keeping me sane right now is my imagination and that of some of the fic writers here - S.
You're welcome! I keep it going just so that we all have somewhere to convene. There used to be a lot of Han and Leia specific sites on the internet but not really anymore.
Yeah that is going to be a rough stretch for you but working 12 hours and being busy will help.
I won't see it until Monday matinee because I have to avoid massive crowds, but I've already been spoiled. I'm just waiting for everyone else to catch up so we can discuss it.
Normally I am all about avoiding crowds. But aside from the fact that I think it will be weeks before there aren't crowds at almost every showing (I mean come on, it opens just before Christmas vacation when kids can go see it all day, every day if they want) I just absolutely need to see it at the earliest possible moment. If I lived in the central time zone I would drive to the east coast time zone to see it an hour earlier.
Spoiled already? It must be fun to watch us wonder these things while you know the answers. And you'll have to let us know after you see it if you wish you'd waited to find out while watching or if you were glad you already knew whatever you know.
I chose as early as possible on Monday morning. Yeah, schools are out but I figured it would be less crowded then than anytime during the weekend.
I will let you all know after it opens if I wish I had waited, but I think the answer to that will be no. I'm horrible at stuff like this - if something is dangled in front of my face, I can't stay away. I've always been a spoiler-junkie. I'm not generally fond of surprises. It kinda sucks, but my curiosity always gets the better of me!
Normally I don't care about spoilers. If I found out the end of the next Captain America movie, oh well. If I find out whether Batman or Superman wins in that movie, whatever. I'm not even sure that the outcome of most movies is anywhere near as important as the path to get there.
But this? This is different. More different than any other movie, ever. I remember trying to avoid knowing or seeing anything from Phantom Menace before it came out. Of course that was probably pointless but whatever. I didn't go to any such lengths for Revenge of the Sith, I don't remember looking for info on it but I probably at least looked at pictures. The thing was, we already knew how it ended. We knew where it was going, and what the plot would have to entail. Anakin was going to fall and he was going to become Vader. We don't know anything about this, really. Who exactly are these bad guys? What do they want? How long have they been fighting? Are there really no Jedi still? What is everyone's relationships with one another? It's just so much, and it is all going to be revealed as we go through the movie. This is like a once in a lifetime experience, seeing this particular movie for the first time. In the next one we'll know who everyone is, we'll have their back stories. We might not know where they are going but we'll have a lot more than we have to go on now. It's just not going to be quite the same level of intrigue, I don't think. You only get one chance to see a movie unfold for the first time.
I'm obviously not trying to convince you not to spoil it, because of course you've already done that. Just giving my perspective on why I'm not looking. Even though yes, it is hard! But we're so, so close.
Oh, I understand. I do miss the days before the internet when I could see something for the first time and be surprised, shocked, amazed, etc. I think if there wasn't so much speculation surrounding this movie, I could have waited it out, but as the days ticked closer I got more and more of a nervous stomach about it. So I just caved.
“I was in my trailer in the back and I heard Harrison. I recognized how his boots sound, and I heard him say, 'Is Carrie here?' That was funny. That was like we're back on 'Star Wars' campus.”
Here's a quote about Leia from Carrie from the same article:
The new film reintroduces Leia 30 years after the war. She's no longer a princess but a general. And she's still very much in command — "still walking and talking," Fisher says. "She doesn't have any mortal wounds or disease." But, she warns, "things have happened that have been difficult."
Thanks for the quotes, guys. I do hope there is some evidence that somewhere, at some point in the last 30 years, Leia has had some joy in her life. I mean of course Han too but my guess is that if Leia had some joy, so did he.
And love her talking about how he still came to her trailer looking for her. For any of you on Twitter Carrie has been retweeting Star Wars stuff and Han and Leia stuff like crazy the last few days. She's really getting into it.
I have a feeling Harrison Ford will not be coming back for Episode VIII. He's scheduled to start filming Bladerunner 2 soon and then there's Indy 5... I can't see him committing to more than 1 movie, and if he did commit to Episode VII it was probably on the condition that Han play a huge role. I just can't see him agreeing to do Episode VIII and IX when he'll be almost 80 at the time the last one comes out and Han's never been a favourite character of his like Indy. So if Han dies in Episode VII I think it'll be for good.
I don't think they'd pair Leia off with anyone else. This is Hollywood, a woman over 50 who actually looks over 50 isn't going to be seen as a love interest - they'll start focusing on Rey/Finn is my guess in Episide VIII.
What I am afraid of though is that if Han/Leia are separated or divorced for over a decade (this isn't a spoiler just my inference based on what has been released about their characters), if the EU would pair them up with other love interests. Please no!! I think Leia would throw herself into the Rebellion and Han would go back to smuggling if they didn't work out, but I really, really don't want to see them get involved with other people.
I want to know how stuff has leaked, when Disney apparently has this thing locked up tighter than Fort Knox. How are there people who already know what happens??
I don't get it. How do the actors not have the full acript when they're filming the movie, yet the shooting schedule can leak out? I was just talking about this on another forum. That's why I don't believe the rumors. On the other hand, I'm starting to worry again.
If I go to to film and everything that I don't like happens, I'll be very disappointed. It'll change how I look at the first trilogy. I hope that we don't get slapped in the face.
There was another photo of Leia and Rey posted on this forum showing Leia in the dress that's on the poster with the new hairdo on the poster.
There's ALWAYS leaks no matter how many security measures they take. After all there's hundreds of crew members working on a set and in this day and age of the Internet it's easy to leak info anonymously. George Lucas was insanely secretive of the prequels and the entire plotline still leaked online before the movie came out. Some of the "sources" are full of crap because they predicted stuff that turned out to be fake like General Hux being Lucas' son. Other sources have been 100% reliable and have leaked stuff long before the public would ever know - specific things like Finn's bloody handprint on the helmet before the trailer was released, that Gwendoline Christie was going to play a silver storm trooper long before any official info on her came out, that Rey had been left on a desesrt planet called Jakku at 5 before Daisy Ridley revealed that in an interview, that 3PO has a new red arm, etc. The sources that have revealed Han and Leia's relationship status in TFA have fallen into the reliable camp. So the information on that is out there for those who want to look for it. This is a spoilers free zone so I will not post it here.
Yeah, exactly. While of course most humans have no idea what is in the movie, there are hundreds of others who know a lot who worked on it. And while they all sign agreements not to tell anyone anything, they have friends and families and things get out. That's just the way it goes. Not that long ago there was a very short clip from one scene from the movie leaked online (it now barely matters because it didn't show much in the first place, and what it DID show was basically in the trailer anyway) looked like a cell phone video from one of the extras or something even though as you can imagine nobody was allowed to have their cell phones on set. You just can't prevent everything unless only like 5 people work on it, which is impossible.
The big premiere for the whole cast is one week from today. That will likely be the point in which I have to go media dark just to make sure I don't read anything I don't want to accidentally read. Possibly earlier depending on how things go this week.
I agree with the other post about how the leaks about H/L's relationship is slowly being confirmed... which saddens me. I guess I can deal with them possibly being estranged and then reconnecting more than him dying just after a reunion. That is even more devastating. Plus, I want to see their banter continue in episode VIII. I can't believe they would end their storyline possibilities with killing Han off so quickly in this trilogy. I could accept his death in episode 9, but not in TFA.
My hope is that it's a fake out. People think he's dead to throw them off track, but really he survives and we either see it as a cliffhanger at the end of the movie OR he appears alive in VIII. I just can't imagine a Star Wars movie without Han Solo.
All right, maybe let's chill a little now on the "speculating" about what's going to happen. Some of you are starting to sound like you are telling us things you KNOW rather than what you're guessing.
I think (and this is based on what we know about Harrison Ford and what's officially out, NOT spoilers) that Han will probably die in Episode VII and stay dead. Why?
1) Harrison Ford made it conditional that Han Solo play a big role for him to come back to Episode VII. As we see, Han Solo is a leading role in Episode VII. It's unlikely they would have been able to accommodate him having a leading role in VIII and XI because the ST will be about passing the torch to the next generation. Also, Luke is barely in VII and I think he will have a bigger role in VIII. So I doubt Harrison Ford would come back for a ten minute cameo.
2) Scheduling: Harrison Ford is scheduled to start filming Bladerunner 2 the same time Episode VIII is set to start filming. Plus, he wants to start doing Indy 5. Realistically, how many films can he be doing at once?
3) Age. Harrison Ford is 73. Can we really expect that he'd sign on for a multi-series universe when he'd be nearly 80 at the time the last episode wraps up?
4) Harrison Ford and Kasdan have both said they wanted Han to die at the end of ROTJ to complete Han's hero arc from selfish smuggler in ANH to hero who sacrifices himself for his loved ones. Knowing what Harrison and Abrams have said about Han in Episode VII it looks like he's reverted back to his pre-ANH days (back to smuggling, in debt, etc.) Episode VIII I anticipate will be a recreation of his hero arc in the OT to have him go from selfish smuggler at the beginning of it to sacrificing himself for his loved ones.
5) Wise old mentor dying trope: In every hero's journey the mentor has to die for the hero to come in on their own. This is why Obi-Wan had to die in ANH and Qui-Gon had to die in TPM, and how every father figure Harry Potter ever had dies. Han playing the role of mentor to Rey and Finn signals very strongly that he will die.
I do agree the point that he wouldn't have as big a role in any other movies going forward, that this was supposed to be more of the send off. Although I suspect Luke's role may beef up quite a bit in the next one. Poor Mark, right? He doesn't get to be a part of anything right now!
I don't think the schedule would have to be that complicated. I believe his role in the new Blade Runner isn't all that big. I realize there is lots of Indy 5 talk right now but it is just talk, there is no script, nothing scheduled, no specific plans there. Even if they picked a script tomorrow I think the earliest they could suddenly be shooting would be summer. You can't just throw together a movie like that. This of course may not mean anything at all, but whatever may point to him potentially not being in it, scheduling I don't think is a reason to believe he couldn't be in it.
Also you're adding years that you don't need to. VIII starts shooting in January, when he will still be 73. These movies are going to be 2 years apart (or a year and a half between 7 and 8) so at his oldest if he were in 9 he'd be 75, only 2 years from now. Yeah, that's still old, but it's not 80. Every time I see him right now I am more and more amazed at how good he looks for his age. Especially when he just rattled off his injuries again from the plane crash. How he is already walking around like normal I have no idea. Also his eyes seem to be sitting on the same level and that new scar is hardly noticeable.
Your point about them wanting him to die as bringing together his story arc is a valid one. I did say a long time ago I'd be ok with him dying if it was done well. BUT, of course selfishly now that I've actually seen him being Han again, and he seems really enthusiastic about it, and totally into the role, and it is much more of a reality that we really do get to see Han again, I don't want them to take away our chance to see even more Han in the future. Also, just poor Leia. Will she ever have anything left? A this point though does he need to die to prove his sacrifice? He has presumably given a lot, and will give a lot here. I don't know. Again, I just selfishly want more Han. It's been so great and fun to see him be involved again. What else does Harrison have to do? It's either this or playing grandpa roles until he retires.
Your mentor dying is also a valid point. I have no counter argument beyond I don't want to see him die ;) Maybe Luke is already dead? I mean I sincerely doubt that, but who knows at this point?
Sorry, but sharing your emotional reaction to spoilers counts as sharing spoilers and that's not cool. This is a spoiler-free zone, which should extend to indirect spoilage.
Thanks for correcting me on the age thing :) But still, I don't think Harrison wants to be playing Han Solo in his last few roles until he's close to retirement. He's been super forthright about the fact that Han Solo has never been a favourite character of his and how much he loves Indy compared to Han. I could see him wanting to do Indy movies forever, but not a character he has historically not been fond of. And yeah, Harrison is enthusiastic about the character of Han Solo now but I think it's because they gave him what he always wanted - a big role (no longer secondary to Luke) and a hero's sacrifice like he always wanted in ROTJ. Plus, don't forget he's getting a paid a ton of money to reprise his Han Solo role and that includes press appearances where he has to appear enthusiastic.
I agree, it seems like overkill for Leia to kill Han off given of how unhappy and lonely Carrie has said she is at the beginning of the movie already. But I think JJ Abrams' hands are tied if Harrison isn't coming back for Episode VIII and Carrie and Mark have agreed to (they've already both unofficially been confirmed to come back). How else could they explain a total absence of Han without him being killed off?
I don't think Han needed to die at the end of ROTJ to prove that he'd changed - he already did that with the General commission, volunteering for the mission on Endor, etc. But it sounds like JJ Abrams has undid all that character development in ESB and ROTJ and turned him back to his ANH personality by the time we see him in TFA based on what's been released about his character. So I think it will make sense to see him being dragged back out to the good fight and make one last great battle and sacrifice himself for the next generation to complete his hero arc once again. And it sets up the younger heroes for their hero arc, just like it set up Luke for his when Obi-Wan died.
I don't want Han to die at all, but I am fully expecting it.
On Luke being dead - Mark Hamill has already confirmed via twitter and the Rolling Stone article he will be back for Episode VIII. I dunno if that's a spoiler since it's official info, but feel free to delete this post if it is...
I wouldn't be surprised if Luke plays the "Yoda" role and dies at the end of Episode VIII though. The mentor usually has to kick the bucket for our hero to complete their journey on their own ;)
The funny thing about Han vs. Indy at this point is that it is probably easier for him to play Han than Indy. A large part of Indy is the feel of the time period. We are stuck in the real world there, and Indy getting any older sends us into the 1960s now, which just seems too different from the feel of the 30s. I know the late 50s weren't THAT much different in Crystal Skull but still, I don't know how well Indy works when the world starts to get too modern.
Also while he has said that before about disliking Han's character, it is quite clear that he has changed his tune. And his character in ROTJ just didn't have much to do. This Han, presumably, will have much more of a connection to the story. That makes for a far more interesting character. Harrison seems to genuinely like that he came back to do it, and what they have done with him.
You scared me with how you phrased that "...for Leia to kill Han off..." I know what you meant but it didn't sound good!
And by the way all of my arguing against Han dying is just me being in denial. I will also be going in expecting that he will be dead by the end of the movie. I am just going to enjoy 10 more days of pretending MAYBE he makes it out alive.
I would love him to survive too! I think he does like the direction Han took in TFA - it seems like he's back to his ANH roots, even though that isn't good news for Han/Leia fans. Harrison Ford has been clear that he preferred ANH Han, not ROTJ love-interest Han. So he's happy about the large role Han plays in Episode VII, but how happy would he be about a Han role in Episode VIII of him NOT having a main role and being in the midst of everything? Not very happy, I think. Which is why I don't think Harrison Ford woul agree to sign onto Episode VIII and XI. I think his enthusiasm is that he finally got the big role and character arc he wanted and now he's done with the character.
My fear is that he is so enthusiastic about it because he knows he doesn't have to do it again. Han wasn't given anything interesting to do in ROTJ. I can see why he wasn't thrilled with that.
Comments are showing up quicker than I can finish replies. For Luke coming back, it isn't a spoiler if it is from a trailer or like the magazine article quotes as long as the magazine articles aren't like, "leaked" or something.
OK, her I go with speculating, ha ha... I originally thought Han would die in episode 7, but now, I don't think so.
Speilberg recently joked about wanting Harrison to do Indy before he's eighty. Why did Speilberg say that? i'm thinking because Harrison might be tied up in more SW filming...
And for a storyline, I could see Han 'going after' a wayward kid at the end of episode 7 (so we'd see him in 8. But maybe he would die in 8, or 9)
I'm sorry to sound like a broken record, but I think they will have had their issues, like every marriage does occasionally, but they will be together (and will have been for the last 30 yrs, except for temporary separations due to missions, etc.) It would be too huge of a soap opera issue to have them estranged, PLUS having a troubled kid or two, PLUS have him die. just a little too dark for the Star Wars ideology. There would be a ton of disgruntled fans. would they want that? they want to make $$$
Yes, I completely agree with you on all of this. And THIS would be my big problem with all of it, and all of the things I am most worried about. Are they estranged and lost their kids and/or at least one of them turned dark plus estranged AND Han dies? Isn't that a little much? My thing also is that technically this is a fairy tale. We need at least one good relationship. Some issues and a less-than-perfect road are ok. Total estrangement, abandonment, whatever, is just too much to me.
Well, I couldn't stand it, crowds or no crowds. I bought an additional ticket for the 17th. I just need to see this as soon as possible so I can move on, whether it's pleasant or depressing.
Also could you anonymous people start signing the ends of your posts with an initial or something? It doesn't even have to be YOUR initial, just pick a letter and stick with it. I'm so confused right now as to how many different people are commenting as anonymous. I think it's 3 but I can't tell!
To JeanMarie, I agree completely. To have all that drama happening in H/L's storyline is way too much. Too soapy, too dark, too much going on in the narrative. And since I personally believe that Han will probably die, and that H/L do indeed have two children with major issues, I think the plot point most likely to not be included in the H/L estrangement.
I also want to add, a lot of people THINK they know the entire film (or 99% of it) -- but until the movie actually comes out, we won't know if all that information was completely accurate. Yes, production documents have leaked, but we don't know if those were written early or late in the production. Remember, Harrison broke his leg and production was shut down for several weeks. According to Rolling Stone and other sources, JJ and Kasdan did a great deal of rewriting during that time. So if the leaked documents were written BEFORE Harrison broke his leg, the finished film could be quite different. Not to mention reshoots, pickups, misinterpretations, missing pages, coded language, etc etc.
Until the film actually comes out, we won't know how much we really knew.
Ah, you're saying so many things I agree with. One of the things that has driven me nuts is people saying things like, "Well, this confirms that rumor..." or whatever. But honestly there is very little that can be truly confirmed based on what we have seen. There could be other explanations.
Also, too many conflicts are just too much. SO much has to happen in this movie and it's not even really that long. Is there really time to have Han and Leia come back from being estranged, make up, find out who they're related to, maybe kill Han, plus have all the space battles, lightsaber battles, whatever. Seriously, so much needs to happen in not much more than 2 hours.
We only have to wait NINE more days. Or less for some of you foreign people who get it earlier. The annoying thing is that really, we can debate all we want but we won't know for sure until we see it. Or at least I won't, because I'd rather find out through the course of the actual movie than because I read it online somewhere.
Oh, and lastly about your point on things leaking, remember, there was fake dialog out there for almost everyone but the absolute essentials when it came to finding out Vader was Luke's father. Even the actual man under the mask David Prowse said something different and it was James Earl Jones who dubbed it later. I don't think even Carrie and Harrison knew that.
I admire your optimism LLB! I'm trying to stay optimistic despite the rumours.
No, nothing is truly confirmed until we see the movie, but if a source reveals something that there is no way that anyone in the public would know long before it's officially revealed, that shows the source is somewhat reliable and probably did work on the film and not just making stuff up on the Internet. For example, one of the sources that revealed the status of Han and Leia's relationship in TFA predicted that Gwendoline Christine was going to play a silver stormtrooper immediately after she was cast when there was ZERO information out about her, including what kind of character she would play and what her costume would be like. Another source that revealed Han and Leia's relationship predicted the castle scene at Maz's (seen in the trailer) and C-3PO having a red arm way before any official images or trailers came out. Those aren't things that someone could just take a lucky guess at, those are very specific things that the sources predicted that turned out to be ture. So to me that says that those sources actually know something and aren't just random trolls on the Internet. Don't get me wrong, there are definitely people claiming to have worked on TFA who definitely didn't but that's easy to tell because they've said something that's proven to be false like that the desert planet shown was Tatooine or something.
You have a point about rewrites and pick ups. I don't think they would change the script so drastically to not have Han die or something, but it's possible the Han/Leia scenes were rewritten and/or reshot. They have to change the script quite drastically to make Han and Leia together if they weren't originally together, and vice versa though.
To Zyra -- Thanks and yes that's good point about the big spoiler from ESB.
To the anon above -- I can't really debate this with you anymore since this is supposed to be a SPOILER-FREE zone. So I'll just agree to disagree. As far as I'm concerned, NOTHING is 100 percent certain until the movie comes out.
I agree it would be a triple whammy to have one of their kids dark and/or the other one lost AND have them apart AND have Han die. But I think the first has led to the second. The tragedy of losing one or more of their kids caused them to separate and my prediction is they get back together just before Han dies. It will be a very emotional tender moment. Yes, divorce/separation sucks in real life but in a movie it makes for an interesting storyline. I think JJ Abrams is breaking them up because he cares about their characters and relationship, not because he has it out again them. Breaking them up causes more focus on their relationship in TFA.
It's not like they don't care about the relationship, it's obviously a crucial point of the story and is being handled with great care. Think of it like if a sequel came out where Rhett and Scarlet reunited with each other (Kasdan has always referred to Han and Leia as the Rhett and Scarlet of a GFFA). It's not interesting to have them together, it's more dramatic to break them up and bring them together again one last time before Han goes off into the sunset.
First of all, I had to say something to my coworker who is a Star Wars fan who doesn't read spoilers, yet she puts up with me giving her an occasional one now and then. She said that just because Leia was alone in that new picture doesn't mean that Han isn't in the scene. I told her, "Thank you for helping me keep my mind straight about this."
I was thinking the same thing about the "Anonymous" posters. I can tell who's who either. They need a name.
I think that Harrison changed his tune about playing Han, but I DON'T believe that he's coming back for the next 2 films because he said in an interview that he's wearing the costume for "one last time." That has nothing necess. to do with Han's fate. He might be okay at the end of the movie.
I don't think that Harrison had a problem with being Leia's love interest at all. He mentioned in it one interview. Also, I think that he had a lot to do in "Jedi," and his character arc was finalized in that movie with him ending up with Leia and staying with the rebellion.
I agree with all of the reasons NOT to kill Han off, and that just makes more sense to me than anything else. But sometimes, sense doesn't factor into the equation. I just hope that it's a happy ending for him and Leia. I hope that I haven't wasted any money.
I thought Han had a lot of character development in ROTJ. But Harrison obviously disagrees, he's given numerous interviews about how he was unhappy with how little he had to do and how "thin" a character Han was. If you follow his interviews from 1977-1983 it's clear he doesn't start disliking the character of Han until ROTJ - he's actually quite enthusiastic around the ANH and ESB era. After he got to do Raiders, I think he just fell in love with playing the leading role of Indy and then being reduced to a supporting character in ROTJ was insulting to him I think.
Which interview did Harrison say he was putting on the costume one last time? I think if Harrison didn't sign on for Episode VIII and IX, they would kill off his character. It would help propel the story forward and then it avoids having to explain why he isn't around (especially if Leia is) in Episode VIII and IX. I actually wouldn't be surprised if Harrison only agreed to come back on the condition they kill off his character.
I really have to disagree about talk that Han had a lot of character development in ROTJ. I do agree that yes, of course he does man up and join and offer to lead a major mission and accept commission as a general. But there is no scene really where we get to delve into how that affected him, or how he changed, or how he came to that decision. When you get down to it and look at most of his role in that movie, with few exceptions, what he did could've been accomplished by any other random Rebel.
I'm not saying that he didn't grow at all in the movie. He joined up officially, he started growing up in his relationship with Leia and apologized, he was willing to step aside for Luke if that was what she wanted. But MOST of the movie he is like, comic relief. And just comparing it to ESB where there was a lot to dig into as far as acting goes, it must've been a huge letdown. I don't dislike ROTJ, I love certain moments in it, but I can see why he wouldn't love what he got to do in it.
The funny thing is even some of the interviews contradict each other. I saw another interview where he talked about how George called him and asked him if he would be willing to come back if they did a few more of these. I don't remember the exact wording but it was definitely plural.
I've heard other people say they think he had a condition he would only come back if Han dies. I just don't think he would try and exert that much over the potential story.
What timing: I just came across an interview where Harrison mentioned the possibility of coming back for possibly several movies. It doesn't sound like an actual plan, just a tossing out of ideas... nevertheless, here's a link backing up the "plural" part. (about 0:15) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5PqNYGxzyc
(As for signing an anon somehow, good idea. Next step: figuring out how to pick and register for one of these non-anon accounts!)
By the way, here's an interview with JJ Abrams about why Leia didn't become a Jedi: http://widgets.ign.com/video/embed/content.html?url=http://www.ign.com/videos/2015/12/07/star-wars-the-force-awakens-why-leia-didnt-become-a-jedi
Sorry I'm late here, but did Harrison said that he is playing Han "one last time"? I hope not! Please let us know the context of that statement if you know. Thx
Some are finding hope in this article from Kathleen K. They think this means Harrison will be back. Thoughts? http://www.popcrunch.com/harrison-f...de-viii-and-other-new-star-wars-developments/
A post at theforce.net debunking that article (popcrunch is as reliable as the Daily Fail:
Yeah, that article is very misleading, especially since it leaves out the most pertinent detail. I was following the press conference live both through Twitter and other blogs. While it is true that she said something along the lines of, "These guys begin shooting in January," what the article does not point out is that she was looking at and gestured to John, Gwendoline and Oscar, and not Harrison, who was the only one sitting on the opposite side of her. Several of the folks who were there and providing the live blogs/Tweets mentioned that in their coverage.
It's interesting how people can have different interpretations of scenes - the two girls who watched the trailer seem to think that Han and Leia are not together based on the hug we see: http://www.hitfix.com/the-dartboard/star-wars-the-force-awakens-are-han-leia-still-a-thing-she-saidshe-said
Personally, I think the hug is quite intimate and shows that even if they are not together that they still love each other, but it seems like other people had a totally different interpretation. Another guy on youtube said that the hug was something that "he'd give an ex-girlfriend who just found out her grandpa died". I mean I know we're looking at through rose-colored Han/Leia glasses, but I just didn't get that at all looking at it.
This is something that I have found extremely interesting about this as well. How so many of us are looking at the same things and interpreting them completely different. Basically it makes me think that all of us are going to see what we want to see. Or we'll see what we really fear to see, or if we're just feeling exceptionally cynical we'll only see the bad possibility. But when you get down to it, what it does show is that JJ or whoever was in charge of this clearly knew exactly what they were doing if they put a shot like that in there and clearly it doesn't give anything away if we are all seeing it differently. I've seen people who took that one shot and took it as clear proof that Han and Leia made it through all those years together. I really don't know, but I do know what I HOPE I see in there.
I agree that it seems like a more intimate hug. People are saying that it looks like Leia loves Han but Han isn't in love with her anymore? Sorry, but even if I would have to accept an estrangement, I believe truly that if that happened it was due to circumstances or issues that were just beyond what they could deal with, not because they stopped loving each other. I just don't believe for one second they would take the two people we saw in the OT and have them completely fall out of love. Face things that tested them beyond their limits? Yes, sure. I really think it would be way, way too much to come back and tell us that he dumped her and doesn't love her or something like that.
to say by looking at that hug infers that she loves him but he doesn't love her is a totally ridiculous stretch.
Whatever the case may be (i'm sticking by my guns; they're together, Han doesn't remind me the type to openly show his emotions or break down hysterically in public; He's going to keep it together, for Leia's sake...
Full version of the hug here that shows Han's face: https://36.media.tumblr.com/474c346937fcc495d7dc5e57788f4763/tumblr_nz21b0TWkf1upjnwqo1_540.jpg
Hmm..what do you guys think? Han's expression is ambiguous. Some people on theforce.net are interpreting it to be that Leia is still in love with Han, but Han is not with Leia.
It is an awesome photo but not the same vibe as the brief scene in the trailer. This one exudes a completely different vibe, but not one that is negative on either of their parts. I read an article recently that stated that JJ and Kasdan stay "respectful" of the events and relationships of the OT so even if H/L are estranged, I do believe there will be some long awaited tender moments as well beaming with love - S.
What vibe do you get? Leia still looks worried to me, but Han looks less comforting than I expected - more not sure of himself? If Han dies, I hope their last moment together is as heart-wrenching as the carbonite scene.
I'm trying to post the link to the Han/Leia tumblr site but every time I try this site eats my post. I'll try again later.
Maybe it's just Han knowing he has to be the strong one? Who knows? And that is, as far as I can tell, a publicity shot and not a still from the movie. His "look" may be different in what we actually see in the movie. Maybe.
What if Han goes in carbonite in this and he doesn't come out until episode IX? What would we even do?!?
Is it a publicity shot? I thought it was a still from the hug we see in the trailer, just a wider frame. It looks the same (same outfits, same position of Han and Leia).
And speaking of that, is anyone else annoyed by the lack of Han/Leia publicity pictures? When ESB and ROTJ came out there were a ton of Han/Leia photo shoots. Now we've had like 5 with Han and Chewie and NONE with Han/Leia? It sort of annoys me how JJ Abrams goes on about how he wants to respect the OT so he has Han with Chewie and Han flying with Falcon but then if he estranges Han and Leia, he didn't pay much respect to their relationship. Grr...
I agree completely with Zyra, this to me is definitely not a still from the movie but something you would see later down the line in a "Making of TFA" collectors book. I posted later down this thread that Williams revamped Han and Leia's theme for the movie soundtrack. If they aren't together or reconcile at all this movie, what sense would it make to use their theme? You can hear it in the official trailer near the beginning - S.
I think even the most pessimistic of rumours has Han and Leia having a tender scene and hinting at reconciliation if they are estranged. I'm sure the Han/Leia scene will be playing then. Personally, though, even a really great Han/Leia love scene will not make up for it if they have been estranged for years beforehand and Han dies after.
I always felt that their hug in ROTJ after their little argument in the Ewok village (when Leia asks him to hold her) was a little quirky with little emotion on Han's part. Their other embraces were great, except for that one in particular. That is sort of the vibe I get from the above picture, not that it exudes a lack of loving on Han's part. I always imagined that Han fell for Leia first and she came around much later - S.
To the poster discussing the publicity shot vs. movie still (wow there are a lot of you anonymous people) that is just my guess. That looks like a posed photo to me rather than taken right from the movie. I could be wrong. In the trailer his hand is also on the back of her head. Not that this couldn't be a few moments later or whatever, but it's just my interpretation.
As for lack of photos of them in general, my thought is this is intentional to keep us from knowing either something specific or just too much in general. Maybe most of her scenes are with him and there aren't more photos because it'd give away too much? Honestly I'm sort of glad we don't have too much of that already, because I don't want to already know every moment they'll be together before I see it. I'd like some surprises. GOOD surprises, hopefully. Then after it comes out we can have all kinds of pictures we hadn't seen.
I agree the hug in ROTJ was quite awkward, but Han has no clue what is going on there so I can forgive him a little. I totally agree about Han falling in love with her first and she came around later. We even did a poll on that (can't remember if we did a post too) a while back, and the results should still be in the sidebar, and most people agreed with that.
I agree Han definitely fell for Leia first and she was the one denying it!
Question, so I've seen some people speculate (mostly non Han/Leia fans) that if Han and Leia are in fact not together any more, that they have remained good friends and still keep in touch while Han does occasional missions for the Resistance and such and that the "hug" is just a hug between old friends who have gone through a lot and still maybe have some feelings left for each other. What do you guys think of that scenario? Personally, I don't see Han and Leia ever being the chill exes that grab a drink together on occasion. They're both too passionate and emotional for that. Either they're together or they're not, and if they aren't they've cut off contact completely.
The other scenario floated is that they're no longer together together but Han stops by the Resistance Base every so often and spends the night with Leia, thus allowing them to keep the spark going while still too much has happened between them for them to have a full blown relationship and now they're both leading separate lives. Again, I might prefer this scenario to the just friends one but...to put a modern day spin on it, I feel like Leia just ends up being in a Friends with Benefis scenario where she's probably only sleeping with Han and Han isn't remaining monogamous and...argh. I just feel like Leia would have too much self respect for that. Sue Zahn did an excellent fanfic with this exact scenario like 20 years ago called Portside Girl and it was really heartbreaking.
So yeah. If they HAVE to be split up, I'd prefer they had no contact with each other because they still love each other and it's just too painful to see the other person. What do you guys think?
In the actual movie still of their embrace (the more emotional one with Han's hand supporting her head) I noticed some officers in the background looking in their direction watching them. Which is why I sort of think it's a moment between them before he leaves again to go somewhere and it's a bit of a shock to see them holding each other out in the public (assuming they previously had not been on good terms). Hence why I'm of the belief that they split for some serious reason, still love each other very deeply but because of both their hardheaded stubbornness, they took a really long time to come together again but some different event made them realize they need one another - S.
I could actually see the second scenario being plausible. The first, no. They have too much chemistry and passion between them to ever be "just friends". The second scenario is unromantic in the modern world because it usually involves one person who wants to be in a relationship and one person who's just using the other person for sex. In the Star Wars world though, I could believe a scenario where they had a tragedy (like one of their kids going evil) separate them. They still love each other, but Leia deals with her grief by throwing herself into her work with the Resistance and Han goes back to his old ways of smuggling with Chewie. But they have an "arrangement" where they meet up every so often and spend the night together. They still love each, they just can't be together in the traditional sense.
I think I would prefer that to them not having seen each other in 20 years when we see them in TFA and having to read about Leia being courted by some Rebel officer and Han having a string of short lived romances like in the Crispin/Daly books in the new EU.,,
That's one thing that I'm dreading in the new EU. I really, really don't want to read about their romantic relationships with other people during the time they're separated if they are in fact separated. The EU traditionally seems to be more keen on pairing Leia up with others, but realistically Han will be the one having flings while he and Leia are split up. Leia I see more likely that she just buries herself in her work. I know it's "realistic" that Han would go back to his pre-ANH days of womanizing, but I don't want to read about it. The real world is depressing enough already - in the past few months, at least 8 of my friends have announced divorces. Don't want to read about it in my fandom with my OTP either...
It must be an epidemic, I know I think TEN couples that in the last 12-18 months have announced divorces. I'm with you, I get enough reality in reality. And if they are apart too much it would be completely unrealistic that neither of them, especially Han, didn't see anyone else. I don't want to read about that, either. It would also ruin all of the Han and Leia couples merchandise.
There is just about no way they would do a friends with benefits scenario. These are also kids movies, so you can't just have Leia shacking up with a smuggler when he comes around. Gah, I don't know what to think.
Honestly, I don't know if it's because I got my "who's scruffy lookin?" T-shirt today and i'm feeling super optimistic but I can't (or refuse to) believe that Han and Leia won't be together... To me, that picture simply shows a couple comforting each other over a mutual problem. Come on, I couldn't have been waiting for 32 years for that sequel for them being divorced or not in love anymore... Disney is known for their family oriented movies and happy endings well I hope they'll give me just that!
Did you see Harrison's interview with "Extra" and Mario Lopez? He specifically states that George called him and asked if he would be Han Solo for a couple films like 2 or 3. Seriously, check it out. I can't link it here, but it's on the last page of the "Harrison Ford" Thread on the jedi boards. I heard it myself and it did sound positive. - R
Very interesting conversation here. I appreciate these comments and potential spoilers over the stuff popping up in my FB feeds. Everyone makes very good points, especially the point about a triple whammy of doom to our fav characters that would really piss off s ton of fans. I am saving a glimmer of hope that there is some kind of happy tune or ending. Don't forget that Williams has completely revamped Han and Leia's beautiful theme and it is used in the main trailer. I can't get enough of it, this sound track and score is going to be exceptionally phenomenal. - S.
I'm watching it the first possible moment the general public in the US can watch it. I wouldn't be able to handle waiting. I'm already nervous just that other countries are getting it a day or two before us because I don't want to see anything before I get to see it!
It's so unfair that these other countries get it first! Even if it opened on the exact same day world wide the US (and Canada and I guess South America) would STILL be the last to see it because of time zones. Now their advantage is just getting bigger.
We will be enjoying on the 19th at 430pm EST. I've started to un-follow most of the SW groups on FB because I'm starting to feel like I don't really want to be spoiled any more than I already have been (other than H/L's relationship status).
December 17, 8pm EST! Can't wait. I thought I had to wait until the 20th, but then discovered a small local theatre had lots of tickets left on the 17th. Just about fell over with happiness... When do the other countries get it? I'm starting to avoid any searches on "Star Wars" in order to avoid spoilers... -E
That new picture just further confirms my theory that the picture is an end-of-the-movie picture. You can see very clearly people just standing around in the background and not running out to battle.
I've only ever seen her wear one ring in any of the photos, and it's the same one in anything I've seen. I notice Han does not wear a ring at all though...Boo. That doesn't mean they can't still be married (and possibly temporarily estranged).
I think it's the same ring. And nobody worry about wedding rings. I mean, sure they still might not be married anyway, but nobody in the Star Wars universe wears wedding rings so that proves nothing.
I can understand why you wouldn't talk about plot, like who the other characters are, etc, but how can the status of Han and Leia's relationship be so hush-hush? The only thing I can determine from that is it's not good and they don't want to piss off fans before the movie is even out. Because honestly, I'm sure the majority of people who saw the OT expected Han and Leia to stay together. The opposite of this is that they were just told not to say ANYTHING about the movie to avoid any kind of slip up. Sigh, I go back and forth between feeling positive and negative, but it just seems weird to me to skirt around the issue when it shouldn't be THAT big of a spoiler....
ReplyDeleteMy last shred of hope is that there is some cute reveal where they make it seem like they aren't together, but really they are. I don't know though. I'm with you on going back and forth between positive and negative in my thoughts about it. Today I'm feeling rather negative about it. I'm worried that not only will we find out Han and Leia aren't together and haven't been for a long time, but that Han will, in fact, die. And that is just going to be incredibly depressing, and ruin how I watch the OT. And I'm going to be forced to watch it all happen 3 times in 24 hours because I already have so many tickets.
DeleteExactly. If it's not such a big deal, just say they're together and make MANY fans happy. There are so many Han/Leia fans out there on twitter who DO NOT want them to be apart. If what Zyra says is true, this plot sounds depressing to me.
DeleteHonestly if it's not a big plot point then why not just tell us they aren't together if that's the case? Why so evasive? It almost has to be that they want us uncertain about it when we go in there. Which makes me hopeful for a payoff reveal moment. Where no one including including the new characters, knows they're married and it's a big surprisE when one refers to the other that way.
DeleteJzhanfan about to lock herself in a spoiler free closet for 9 days.
Yeah, he does has a faster talking pace, and is more relaxed. And that mention of his family at the end of the Kelly and Michael clip? So grounded and heartwarming. Made me wonder if family dynamic has helped shift his perspective on Star Wars, helped him enjoy it more. Isn't his youngest son an early teenager now? That's a great age for loving Star Wars. Pure speculation of course, but maybe his son likes Star Wars, so Harrison got to see the films fresh, through the eyes of his son, and developed new appreciation for just how awesome the films are for the audience... Whatever, yeah, it's fun to see relaxed-Harrison.
ReplyDeleteYeah the family mention and acknowledging what he put them through was pretty sweet. Because yeah, that is a lot to put on your loved ones. Youngest son is a teenager, yes. Who knows if he even cares about Star Wars. I'm sure his friends do.
DeleteCarrie is on twitter, and I'm connected to her. I'm sure that once the movie comes out, many fans will ask her opinion about this and that, and she'll tell them.
ReplyDeleteOn keeping Han and Leia's relationship status secret, my theory is that it's all about keeping Rey's (and Kylo's) identity secret. Clearly TPTB are trying very hard to hide who Rey really is.
ReplyDeleteIf the fans know for sure that Han and Leia got married, the natural next step is thinking they must have had children, and wondering who in the main cast is playing Han and Leia's child. So if Rey is the daughter of H/L (which I am absolutely convinced she is), keeping Han and Leia's marriage a secret helps to keep Rey's identity secret.
That's my theory anyway.
Also, I just found the following article online. No spoilers:
http://legionofleia.com/2015/12/10-reasons-why-han-and-leias-star-wars-love-story-is-so-epic/
-LLB
I'm really hoping you're right, LLB. That's pretty much been what my hopes and theories are, but I've also been trying to keep my expectations low for if and when we come to find out that Han and Leia became estranged somewhere along the line. It will kill me if the 'secret identity' theory is wrong.
DeleteI think I'm finally over the whole EU being non-canon now too. If Han and Leia aren't together . . . I'm going to need serious help, you guys!
I also of course hope you are right. I mean maybe they're just hiding everything? Maybe the reason we've seen so little of Leia (Carrie even joked about that this morning on a talk show, about how we've seen like 3 pictures of her) is because most of the rest of her screen time is with Han? That seems unlikely, but I don't know.
DeleteWe're going to have to start a support group I think if there is major estrangement or if Han dies. Or Leia dies, but I have no reason to think that will happen. Or of both of those are true I'm really not going to know what to do.
I've been thinking about it and IF Han dies in TFA, and it's a presumed death, then there's the very good possibility he's not actually dead. This is a trilogy and it's possible we believe he's dead and then in episode 8 (or 9, god forbid) we find out he survived. I'd be happy with that. But if he's gone for good..I just can't imagine a SW universe without Han AND Leia. OR without them together. Even an estrangement would be detrimental to the OT love story, imo. I'm just preparing myself for disappointment.
DeleteSo I'm convinced that Rey is H/L's daughter, too... which then makes me kind of mad at H/L. Because if it really is the case that she's been left on her own since a tender young age, *what the $&*@ were H/L doing to leave a kid alone like that!?*
DeleteOr, you know, Andy Serkis is actually their kid. Because we haven't seen him *at all.* Definitely keeping HIS idenity secret! :)
Andy Serkis plays a CGI character. That's been out for a while. That's why we haven't seen Andy Serkis himself ;)
DeleteI hope Rey is a Solo too. Even if she's a Skywalker it'd be nice for Han/Leia to be reunited with their niece :)
The thing is they would never be able to pull off like making us think he is dead and then bringing him back in a later movie. They couldn't just sneak Harrison onto set for the new movie and nobody would notice. It'd be cool if somehow they could do that but I doubt it.
DeleteWhen Daisy was cast and I saw her picture there was no doubt in my mind she was Han and Leia's. But of course now I don't know.
And it is dawning on me that this movie probably won't even have a real "end" to it because it is the first of a trilogy. And then we have to do this all over again for another year-and-a-half. I suppose I should be grateful that it isn't 3 years like with the OT.
They could say it's for ghosts scenes or flashback scenes which would explain filming for the next movie... like they had ghost scenes in ESB.
DeleteSadly, I think Han gets killed, but my hope is that the final scene we see him hiding somewhere and alive. He needed to throw them off the Empire by thinking he's dead. His loved ones don't know he's alive yet (they learn this in VIII). My theory and hope anyway..
First I want to emphasize these are only my theories and not spoilers...
DeleteI think Han dies in TFA, and he is truly dead. I'm OK with that. TFA should have SOME relationship with reality, and everybody has to die sooner or later. It's the circle of life, and besides, Han Solo will live FOREVER because these movies will always be around, not to mention all the novels and comics and fan-fictions, etc. I believe Han Solo has had a very full life, and provided his death is well-done and Leia doesn't get over him too quickly and start dating somebody else (now THAT I would hate, but I really don't think they'll ever go there) I am fine with it.
To the anon above who is worried about H/L coming off as terrible parents, I'm not at all worried. We're applying regular-world rules to mythic characters who live in a world where people have magic powers. There is no doubt in my mind that the TPTB came up with an excellent reason why Rey ended up where she did. IMO, Han and Leia will be victims in this scenario, not neglectful parents.
-LLB
I have a feeling Harrison Ford will not be coming back for Episode VIII. He's scheduled to start filming Bladerunner 2 soon and then there's Indy 5... I can't see him committing to more than 1 movie, and if he did commit to Episode VII it was probably on the condition that Han play a huge role. I just can't see him agreeing to do Episode VIII and IX when he'll be almost 80 at the time the last one comes out and Han's never been a favourite character of his like Indy. So if Han dies in Episode VII I think it'll be for good.
DeleteI don't think they'd pair Leia off with anyone else. This is Hollywood, a woman over 50 who actually looks over 50 isn't going to be seen as a love interest - they'll start focusing on Rey/Finn is my guess in Episide VIII.
What I am afraid of though is that if Han/Leia are separated or divorced for over a decade (this isn't a spoiler just my inference based on what has been released about their characters), if the EU would pair them up with other love interests. Please no!! I think Leia would throw herself into the Rebellion and Han would go back to smuggling if they didn't work out, but I really, really don't want to see them get involved with other people.
Going back to this because I forgot to comment, but yeah, having them with other people would absolutely kill it for me. Devastating. Please, please, no.
DeleteAgain, this is all just my speculation based on rumors, etc.
DeleteI agree that Han is probably going to die and stay dead, but I don't think this has anything to do with Harrison's schedule. It's Mythic Storytelling 101. Rey is the main hero now, and I'm convinced she is H/L's daughter. This is HER story. Mythic heroes are usually orphans. It's a shorthand way for the writers to tell the audience that Rey is a grown-up now, because daddy is no longer around to take care of her. For Rey to truly take center stage on her own, at least one of her parents should die.
I don't believe for a moment that TPTB will ever put Leia with somebody else. I shouldn't have even mentioned that.
And I'm still hopeful that H/L will not be estranged in the new movie after all. With all the heavy drama going on regarding their children, a separation and reconciliation would clutter up the narrative. Besides, there's this quote from Carrie (from People magazine):
In People magazine, Carrie said, "Han and Leia have conflict, but they stick with it. They take the trouble," Fisher explains, "The key with Harrison is taking the trouble to get past any trouble."
Why would Carrie say that Han and Leia "stick with it" and "take the trouble" if they have been estranged for many years? Doesn't make sense.
-LLB
Yes, LLB, I wholeheartedly agree.
DeleteI agree about the Hero's Journey. It looks like Han wil be playing the mentor in TFA, who inevitably has to die to make room for the heroes. I believe when Harrison said he would only come back for Episode VII, they wrote a story centring around him as the mentor to give him a swan song. Luke will get his stage time in Episode VIII, but I wouldn't be surprised if he dies by the end of it too.
DeleteI agree that Han and Leia have way too much going on in terms of exposition when they meet up to also throw in a reconcilliation in there. I can't go into plot details since this is spoiler free, but to me I just can't see how they could get through all the other stuff AND reconcile after an estrangement in the screen time they have together. That's why I'm concerned if they are estranged, they won't do the reunion justice.
I at first though Carrie's comments were encouraging, but could they be interpreted to mean Han and Leia singularly than together as a couple? It's clear that both Han has conflict and Leia has conflict they both deal with in TFA. Did Carrie necessarily mean they were a couple?
And we know from the EW article that Han has gone back to smuggling and is in debt and having trouble accounting for his past actions. If he was married to Leia, why would he be smuggling and in debt? I just can't see any way that would work. Leia presumably has enough money to take care of any financial troubles Han would have..
Also, Carrie's comment that Leia is "solitary" seems to confirm that she is not with Han at the beginning of this movie.
Argh..Either way, I am going to spoil myself on the 14th when people who have watched the movie start posting, because I don't think I could handle walking in to see the movie and not knowing what their relationship status is. I'm okay with Han dying, but I do NOT want them to be broken up.
To the anon above, first on Carrie's quote. Yes, technically that could be taken to mean Han and Leia take the trouble as individuals, but I don't believe for a moment that is what she meant. The quote just doesn't read that way to me at all. And IIRC, that quote was in response to a direct question about Han and Leia's relationship.
DeleteAs for Carrie's solitary quote...I believe that was a wink and a nod to Daisy's "solitary" quote a few months ago. As you recall, Daisy said that Rey being "solitary" was a clue as to who she was playing. That quote got a ton of attention from the fans and the media, all speculating that Daisy had just dropped a big spoiler.
Daisy and Carrie have apparently become pretty close (they did a joint interview recently, and Daisy watched TFA for the very first time with Carrie) so it's easy to image that they discussed all the hoopla over Daisy's "solitary" quote. And we know that Carrie has a naughty sense of humor. IMO, that was Carrie's sly way of saying that, like Daisy, she is playing a Solo.
As for the EW interview with Harrison, I recall him saying that Han was having money troubles, but nothing confirming that Han had returned to smuggling. And even if he did, so what? Why do we assume that Leia would be rich? Yes, she was a princess but her home world was blown to smithereens, and presumably her family fortune along with it. And even if some of Leia's family fortune was off-planet, Leia seems like the type who would donate most of her money to the Rebellion/Resistance. So it's entirely possible that the Solo family was never that rich.
I'm still bracing myself for the possibility that H/L are estranged, but by no means is it a fargone conclusion.
-LLB
My reading of the quote is that she is referring to Han and Leia together as well. Does anyone have the full context of the quote? I tried to find the People magazine but couldn't. I would like to believe it's true, but it just seems at odds with everything else we've been hearing.
DeleteInteresting interpretation of the solitary comment. I don't know, I mean Carrie is quite close with the Han/Leia fanbase - she retweets from Han/Leia fans all the time on twitter. It would seem kind of cruel for her to make us think Han and Leia aren't together for the sake of wordplay.
Maybe it wasn't the ew interview, but I distinctly remember an interview the JJ Abrams that Han was back to smuggling with Chewie, had several bounties on his head and was spending a lot of time hanging out in bars. Having bounties on his head and hanging out in bars I think he could still be doing while married to Leia - especially if the Resistance is an illegal organization - but I can't really see Leia cool with him smuggling. And Leia might not be rich, but she's a very responsible person and I can't see her having financial problems. Which to me, seems to indicate Han isn't with Leia any more if he's having financial difficulties, unless they have completely separate lives and bank accounts and Leia is just like "Go off and do your own thing Han, if you want to gamble and blow all your money that's your problem and I'm not going to bail you out." I suppose that's possible.
- K
What's the secret identity theory?
ReplyDeleteIf people do want confirmation on whether they're together or not before they see the movie that's already been leaked but I won't post on here what it is. You can find it on theforce.net forums. Otherwise, we'll all be able to discuss after Dec 17!
Thanks for the info. And I can't WAIT until we can talk about these things for real once we've all seen the movie!
DeleteYou can also email me at ewokkey83@gmail.com if you don't want to wade through the posts on theforce.net forum to get Han and Leia's confirmed relationship status in TFA.
ReplyDeleteHoly suit and tie, have you all seen Harrison on January GQ cover? It popped up in my Facebook feed today and I nearly wet myself.
ReplyDeletejzhanfan
Oh yeah. Nice picture, huh?
DeleteI'm thinking they are mum on the H/L relationship status because it is a major plot point and knowing the answer going in would eliminate much of the suspense.
ReplyDeleteI do, too. I have to. I must keep optimistic. Plus, I just don't believe the rumors based on too much common sense and evidence.
DeleteNice GQ pic, yes.
Carrie Fisher will be on GMA tomorrow.
Just saw her GMA interview. Of course they said nothing at all about the movie. Gary was with her, and she was really funny and had everyone cracking up.
DeleteI just want to say, thank goodness for places like this. I feel like a school girl again reading this blog and the fan fiction. Waiting to find out if H/L are still together has been eating me up inside, and I don't get to see the movie until the 19th. Curious, since you'll be seeing the movie on the 17th, before many of us, are you planning and/or able to spoil us with the official status as to whether they are in fact together in TFA?
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you are enjoying yourself :) You have to wait until Saturday? You're going to have to stay away from the internet. Unless you actually want to be spoiled.
DeleteAs for what will happen here, my plan is probably to post very soon after I see it. I'm actually seeing it twice in a row on opening night (that wasn't actually intentional, but due to ticket buying craziness just kind of happened with my movie buddies, and we decided to just go with it because why not?) so it is unlikely you'll see anything here until like 1am east coast time, so not before our west coast people either. Or I might just go to sleep, it depends on how worked up I am. I think a lot of us are seeing it night #1. It will take no time at all for the major info to spread all over the internet, especially since many of our European friends will get it a day or two sooner.
So, anyone who does not want to be spoiled, I suggest you stay away from here until you've seen it. Well, not like from now until you've seen it, just from the time I see it until the time you see it. I will not put spoilers in the blog post title. If anyone is seeing it later and wants to know SOME things but not everything, you can feel free to send me a message and I'll only answer your questions.
Unfortunately, I have to wait until Saturday. I'm working 12 hour nights on both the 17th and 18th! Saturday was the first day I'm able to actually go, so the hubs and I are making it a date night. It will be extremely difficult for me to stay away from the Internet on both those nights!
DeleteThanks again for creating this space. I am glad I found it. The only thing keeping me sane right now is my imagination and that of some of the fic writers here - S.
You're welcome! I keep it going just so that we all have somewhere to convene. There used to be a lot of Han and Leia specific sites on the internet but not really anymore.
DeleteYeah that is going to be a rough stretch for you but working 12 hours and being busy will help.
I won't see it until Monday matinee because I have to avoid massive crowds, but I've already been spoiled. I'm just waiting for everyone else to catch up so we can discuss it.
DeleteNormally I am all about avoiding crowds. But aside from the fact that I think it will be weeks before there aren't crowds at almost every showing (I mean come on, it opens just before Christmas vacation when kids can go see it all day, every day if they want) I just absolutely need to see it at the earliest possible moment. If I lived in the central time zone I would drive to the east coast time zone to see it an hour earlier.
DeleteSpoiled already? It must be fun to watch us wonder these things while you know the answers. And you'll have to let us know after you see it if you wish you'd waited to find out while watching or if you were glad you already knew whatever you know.
I chose as early as possible on Monday morning. Yeah, schools are out but I figured it would be less crowded then than anytime during the weekend.
DeleteI will let you all know after it opens if I wish I had waited, but I think the answer to that will be no. I'm horrible at stuff like this - if something is dangled in front of my face, I can't stay away. I've always been a spoiler-junkie. I'm not generally fond of surprises. It kinda sucks, but my curiosity always gets the better of me!
Normally I don't care about spoilers. If I found out the end of the next Captain America movie, oh well. If I find out whether Batman or Superman wins in that movie, whatever. I'm not even sure that the outcome of most movies is anywhere near as important as the path to get there.
DeleteBut this? This is different. More different than any other movie, ever. I remember trying to avoid knowing or seeing anything from Phantom Menace before it came out. Of course that was probably pointless but whatever. I didn't go to any such lengths for Revenge of the Sith, I don't remember looking for info on it but I probably at least looked at pictures. The thing was, we already knew how it ended. We knew where it was going, and what the plot would have to entail. Anakin was going to fall and he was going to become Vader. We don't know anything about this, really. Who exactly are these bad guys? What do they want? How long have they been fighting? Are there really no Jedi still? What is everyone's relationships with one another? It's just so much, and it is all going to be revealed as we go through the movie. This is like a once in a lifetime experience, seeing this particular movie for the first time. In the next one we'll know who everyone is, we'll have their back stories. We might not know where they are going but we'll have a lot more than we have to go on now. It's just not going to be quite the same level of intrigue, I don't think. You only get one chance to see a movie unfold for the first time.
I'm obviously not trying to convince you not to spoil it, because of course you've already done that. Just giving my perspective on why I'm not looking. Even though yes, it is hard! But we're so, so close.
Oh, I understand. I do miss the days before the internet when I could see something for the first time and be surprised, shocked, amazed, etc. I think if there wasn't so much speculation surrounding this movie, I could have waited it out, but as the days ticked closer I got more and more of a nervous stomach about it. So I just caved.
DeleteI have tickets for the 17th.
ReplyDeleteOn a different note, there was a quote by Carrie Fisher in this article that I loved:
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/herocomplex/la-ca-hc-the-women-of-star-wars-the-force-awakens-20151206-htmlstory.html
“I was in my trailer in the back and I heard Harrison. I recognized how his boots sound, and I heard him say, 'Is Carrie here?' That was funny. That was like we're back on 'Star Wars' campus.”
That's really sweet.
Here's a quote about Leia from Carrie from the same article:
DeleteThe new film reintroduces Leia 30 years after the war. She's no longer a princess but a general. And she's still very much in command — "still walking and talking," Fisher says. "She doesn't have any mortal wounds or disease." But, she warns, "things have happened that have been difficult."
Thanks for the quotes, guys. I do hope there is some evidence that somewhere, at some point in the last 30 years, Leia has had some joy in her life. I mean of course Han too but my guess is that if Leia had some joy, so did he.
DeleteAnd love her talking about how he still came to her trailer looking for her. For any of you on Twitter Carrie has been retweeting Star Wars stuff and Han and Leia stuff like crazy the last few days. She's really getting into it.
I'm so looking forward to the movie!
ReplyDeleteI have a feeling Harrison Ford will not be coming back for Episode VIII. He's scheduled to start filming Bladerunner 2 soon and then there's Indy 5... I can't see him committing to more than 1 movie, and if he did commit to Episode VII it was probably on the condition that Han play a huge role. I just can't see him agreeing to do Episode VIII and IX when he'll be almost 80 at the time the last one comes out and Han's never been a favourite character of his like Indy. So if Han dies in Episode VII I think it'll be for good.
ReplyDeleteI don't think they'd pair Leia off with anyone else. This is Hollywood, a woman over 50 who actually looks over 50 isn't going to be seen as a love interest - they'll start focusing on Rey/Finn is my guess in Episide VIII.
What I am afraid of though is that if Han/Leia are separated or divorced for over a decade (this isn't a spoiler just my inference based on what has been released about their characters), if the EU would pair them up with other love interests. Please no!! I think Leia would throw herself into the Rebellion and Han would go back to smuggling if they didn't work out, but I really, really don't want to see them get involved with other people.
"Carrie sitting on the legs of Jabba The Hutt" is one of the most memorable scenes of Harrison Ford in #StarWars
ReplyDeleteWhere did you see that? I saw something similar looking through witter but don't see any source.
Deletehttp://www.ew.com/article/2015/12/06/live-blog-star-wars-force-awakens-press-conference
DeleteAwesome, thank you! I really really really hope that there is video of this online soon and if any of you see it, please link it here!
DeleteCheck out Harrison Ford's favorite scene from Jedi in the press conference article.
DeleteJust read Harrison Ford's favorite scene... scoundrel! ;)
DeleteYep.
DeleteThat was awesome. Zyra - How do I contact you the night of the 17th for specific spoilers? Pretty please? - S.
ReplyDeletezrm17@yahoo.com though it is likely I won't get back to you until Friday since I probably won't be home until like 1am! I'll do my best though.
DeleteI want to know how stuff has leaked, when Disney apparently has this thing locked up tighter than Fort Knox. How are there people who already know what happens??
ReplyDeleteI don't get it. How do the actors not have the full acript when they're filming the movie, yet the shooting schedule can leak out? I was just talking about this on another forum. That's why I don't believe the rumors. On the other hand, I'm starting to worry again.
DeleteIf I go to to film and everything that I don't like happens, I'll be very disappointed. It'll change how I look at the first trilogy. I hope that we don't get slapped in the face.
There was another photo of Leia and Rey posted on this forum showing Leia in the dress that's on the poster with the new hairdo on the poster.
There's ALWAYS leaks no matter how many security measures they take. After all there's hundreds of crew members working on a set and in this day and age of the Internet it's easy to leak info anonymously. George Lucas was insanely secretive of the prequels and the entire plotline still leaked online before the movie came out. Some of the "sources" are full of crap because they predicted stuff that turned out to be fake like General Hux being Lucas' son. Other sources have been 100% reliable and have leaked stuff long before the public would ever know - specific things like Finn's bloody handprint on the helmet before the trailer was released, that Gwendoline Christie was going to play a silver storm trooper long before any official info on her came out, that Rey had been left on a desesrt planet called Jakku at 5 before Daisy Ridley revealed that in an interview, that 3PO has a new red arm, etc. The sources that have revealed Han and Leia's relationship status in TFA have fallen into the reliable camp. So the information on that is out there for those who want to look for it. This is a spoilers free zone so I will not post it here.
DeleteLuke's son, not Lucas' son, oops.
DeleteYeah, exactly. While of course most humans have no idea what is in the movie, there are hundreds of others who know a lot who worked on it. And while they all sign agreements not to tell anyone anything, they have friends and families and things get out. That's just the way it goes. Not that long ago there was a very short clip from one scene from the movie leaked online (it now barely matters because it didn't show much in the first place, and what it DID show was basically in the trailer anyway) looked like a cell phone video from one of the extras or something even though as you can imagine nobody was allowed to have their cell phones on set. You just can't prevent everything unless only like 5 people work on it, which is impossible.
DeleteThe big premiere for the whole cast is one week from today. That will likely be the point in which I have to go media dark just to make sure I don't read anything I don't want to accidentally read. Possibly earlier depending on how things go this week.
Remember Harrison is on Ellen today!
I agree with the other post about how the leaks about H/L's relationship is slowly being confirmed... which saddens me. I guess I can deal with them possibly being estranged and then reconnecting more than him dying just after a reunion. That is even more devastating. Plus, I want to see their banter continue in episode VIII. I can't believe they would end their storyline possibilities with killing Han off so quickly in this trilogy. I could accept his death in episode 9, but not in TFA.
ReplyDeleteMy hope is that it's a fake out. People think he's dead to throw them off track, but really he survives and we either see it as a cliffhanger at the end of the movie OR he appears alive in VIII. I just can't imagine a Star Wars movie without Han Solo.
All right, maybe let's chill a little now on the "speculating" about what's going to happen. Some of you are starting to sound like you are telling us things you KNOW rather than what you're guessing.
DeleteWell, nobody "knows" anything for sure, but some are starting to fear the worst.
DeleteI think (and this is based on what we know about Harrison Ford and what's officially out, NOT spoilers) that Han will probably die in Episode VII and stay dead. Why?
Delete1) Harrison Ford made it conditional that Han Solo play a big role for him to come back to Episode VII. As we see, Han Solo is a leading role in Episode VII. It's unlikely they would have been able to accommodate him having a leading role in VIII and XI because the ST will be about passing the torch to the next generation. Also, Luke is barely in VII and I think he will have a bigger role in VIII. So I doubt Harrison Ford would come back for a ten minute cameo.
2) Scheduling: Harrison Ford is scheduled to start filming Bladerunner 2 the same time Episode VIII is set to start filming. Plus, he wants to start doing Indy 5. Realistically, how many films can he be doing at once?
3) Age. Harrison Ford is 73. Can we really expect that he'd sign on for a multi-series universe when he'd be nearly 80 at the time the last episode wraps up?
4) Harrison Ford and Kasdan have both said they wanted Han to die at the end of ROTJ to complete Han's hero arc from selfish smuggler in ANH to hero who sacrifices himself for his loved ones. Knowing what Harrison and Abrams have said about Han in Episode VII it looks like he's reverted back to his pre-ANH days (back to smuggling, in debt, etc.) Episode VIII I anticipate will be a recreation of his hero arc in the OT to have him go from selfish smuggler at the beginning of it to sacrificing himself for his loved ones.
5) Wise old mentor dying trope: In every hero's journey the mentor has to die for the hero to come in on their own. This is why Obi-Wan had to die in ANH and Qui-Gon had to die in TPM, and how every father figure Harry Potter ever had dies. Han playing the role of mentor to Rey and Finn signals very strongly that he will die.
I do agree the point that he wouldn't have as big a role in any other movies going forward, that this was supposed to be more of the send off. Although I suspect Luke's role may beef up quite a bit in the next one. Poor Mark, right? He doesn't get to be a part of anything right now!
DeleteI don't think the schedule would have to be that complicated. I believe his role in the new Blade Runner isn't all that big. I realize there is lots of Indy 5 talk right now but it is just talk, there is no script, nothing scheduled, no specific plans there. Even if they picked a script tomorrow I think the earliest they could suddenly be shooting would be summer. You can't just throw together a movie like that. This of course may not mean anything at all, but whatever may point to him potentially not being in it, scheduling I don't think is a reason to believe he couldn't be in it.
Also you're adding years that you don't need to. VIII starts shooting in January, when he will still be 73. These movies are going to be 2 years apart (or a year and a half between 7 and 8) so at his oldest if he were in 9 he'd be 75, only 2 years from now. Yeah, that's still old, but it's not 80. Every time I see him right now I am more and more amazed at how good he looks for his age. Especially when he just rattled off his injuries again from the plane crash. How he is already walking around like normal I have no idea. Also his eyes seem to be sitting on the same level and that new scar is hardly noticeable.
Your point about them wanting him to die as bringing together his story arc is a valid one. I did say a long time ago I'd be ok with him dying if it was done well. BUT, of course selfishly now that I've actually seen him being Han again, and he seems really enthusiastic about it, and totally into the role, and it is much more of a reality that we really do get to see Han again, I don't want them to take away our chance to see even more Han in the future. Also, just poor Leia. Will she ever have anything left? A this point though does he need to die to prove his sacrifice? He has presumably given a lot, and will give a lot here. I don't know. Again, I just selfishly want more Han. It's been so great and fun to see him be involved again. What else does Harrison have to do? It's either this or playing grandpa roles until he retires.
Your mentor dying is also a valid point. I have no counter argument beyond I don't want to see him die ;) Maybe Luke is already dead? I mean I sincerely doubt that, but who knows at this point?
Sorry, but sharing your emotional reaction to spoilers counts as sharing spoilers and that's not cool. This is a spoiler-free zone, which should extend to indirect spoilage.
DeleteThanks for correcting me on the age thing :) But still, I don't think Harrison wants to be playing Han Solo in his last few roles until he's close to retirement. He's been super forthright about the fact that Han Solo has never been a favourite character of his and how much he loves Indy compared to Han. I could see him wanting to do Indy movies forever, but not a character he has historically not been fond of. And yeah, Harrison is enthusiastic about the character of Han Solo now but I think it's because they gave him what he always wanted - a big role (no longer secondary to Luke) and a hero's sacrifice like he always wanted in ROTJ. Plus, don't forget he's getting a paid a ton of money to reprise his Han Solo role and that includes press appearances where he has to appear enthusiastic.
DeleteI agree, it seems like overkill for Leia to kill Han off given of how unhappy and lonely Carrie has said she is at the beginning of the movie already. But I think JJ Abrams' hands are tied if Harrison isn't coming back for Episode VIII and Carrie and Mark have agreed to (they've already both unofficially been confirmed to come back). How else could they explain a total absence of Han without him being killed off?
I don't think Han needed to die at the end of ROTJ to prove that he'd changed - he already did that with the General commission, volunteering for the mission on Endor, etc. But it sounds like JJ Abrams has undid all that character development in ESB and ROTJ and turned him back to his ANH personality by the time we see him in TFA based on what's been released about his character. So I think it will make sense to see him being dragged back out to the good fight and make one last great battle and sacrifice himself for the next generation to complete his hero arc once again. And it sets up the younger heroes for their hero arc, just like it set up Luke for his when Obi-Wan died.
I don't want Han to die at all, but I am fully expecting it.
On Luke being dead - Mark Hamill has already confirmed via twitter and the Rolling Stone article he will be back for Episode VIII. I dunno if that's a spoiler since it's official info, but feel free to delete this post if it is...
DeleteI wouldn't be surprised if Luke plays the "Yoda" role and dies at the end of Episode VIII though. The mentor usually has to kick the bucket for our hero to complete their journey on their own ;)
- K
The funny thing about Han vs. Indy at this point is that it is probably easier for him to play Han than Indy. A large part of Indy is the feel of the time period. We are stuck in the real world there, and Indy getting any older sends us into the 1960s now, which just seems too different from the feel of the 30s. I know the late 50s weren't THAT much different in Crystal Skull but still, I don't know how well Indy works when the world starts to get too modern.
DeleteAlso while he has said that before about disliking Han's character, it is quite clear that he has changed his tune. And his character in ROTJ just didn't have much to do. This Han, presumably, will have much more of a connection to the story. That makes for a far more interesting character. Harrison seems to genuinely like that he came back to do it, and what they have done with him.
You scared me with how you phrased that "...for Leia to kill Han off..." I know what you meant but it didn't sound good!
And by the way all of my arguing against Han dying is just me being in denial. I will also be going in expecting that he will be dead by the end of the movie. I am just going to enjoy 10 more days of pretending MAYBE he makes it out alive.
I would love him to survive too! I think he does like the direction Han took in TFA - it seems like he's back to his ANH roots, even though that isn't good news for Han/Leia fans. Harrison Ford has been clear that he preferred ANH Han, not ROTJ love-interest Han. So he's happy about the large role Han plays in Episode VII, but how happy would he be about a Han role in Episode VIII of him NOT having a main role and being in the midst of everything? Not very happy, I think. Which is why I don't think Harrison Ford woul agree to sign onto Episode VIII and XI. I think his enthusiasm is that he finally got the big role and character arc he wanted and now he's done with the character.
DeleteMy fear is that he is so enthusiastic about it because he knows he doesn't have to do it again. Han wasn't given anything interesting to do in ROTJ. I can see why he wasn't thrilled with that.
DeleteComments are showing up quicker than I can finish replies. For Luke coming back, it isn't a spoiler if it is from a trailer or like the magazine article quotes as long as the magazine articles aren't like, "leaked" or something.
DeleteOK, her I go with speculating, ha ha...
ReplyDeleteI originally thought Han would die in episode 7, but now, I don't think so.
Speilberg recently joked about wanting Harrison to do Indy before he's eighty. Why did Speilberg say that? i'm thinking because Harrison might be tied up in more SW filming...
And for a storyline, I could see Han 'going after' a wayward kid at the end of episode 7 (so we'd see him in 8. But maybe he would die in 8, or 9)
I'm sorry to sound like a broken record, but I think they will have had their issues, like every marriage does occasionally, but they will be together (and will have been for the last 30 yrs, except for temporary separations due to missions, etc.) It would be too huge of a soap opera issue to have them estranged, PLUS having a troubled kid or two, PLUS have him die. just a little too dark for the Star Wars ideology. There would be a ton of disgruntled fans. would they want that? they want to make $$$
ReplyDeleteYes, I completely agree with you on all of this. And THIS would be my big problem with all of it, and all of the things I am most worried about. Are they estranged and lost their kids and/or at least one of them turned dark plus estranged AND Han dies? Isn't that a little much? My thing also is that technically this is a fairy tale. We need at least one good relationship. Some issues and a less-than-perfect road are ok. Total estrangement, abandonment, whatever, is just too much to me.
DeleteWell, I couldn't stand it, crowds or no crowds. I bought an additional ticket for the 17th. I just need to see this as soon as possible so I can move on, whether it's pleasant or depressing.
DeleteLol, good for you. I'm sure you won't regret it.
DeleteAlso could you anonymous people start signing the ends of your posts with an initial or something? It doesn't even have to be YOUR initial, just pick a letter and stick with it. I'm so confused right now as to how many different people are commenting as anonymous. I think it's 3 but I can't tell!
To JeanMarie, I agree completely. To have all that drama happening in H/L's storyline is way too much. Too soapy, too dark, too much going on in the narrative. And since I personally believe that Han will probably die, and that H/L do indeed have two children with major issues, I think the plot point most likely to not be included in the H/L estrangement.
DeleteI also want to add, a lot of people THINK they know the entire film (or 99% of it) -- but until the movie actually comes out, we won't know if all that information was completely accurate. Yes, production documents have leaked, but we don't know if those were written early or late in the production. Remember, Harrison broke his leg and production was shut down for several weeks. According to Rolling Stone and other sources, JJ and Kasdan did a great deal of rewriting during that time. So if the leaked documents were written BEFORE Harrison broke his leg, the finished film could be quite different. Not to mention reshoots, pickups, misinterpretations, missing pages, coded language, etc etc.
Until the film actually comes out, we won't know how much we really knew.
-LLB
Ah, you're saying so many things I agree with. One of the things that has driven me nuts is people saying things like, "Well, this confirms that rumor..." or whatever. But honestly there is very little that can be truly confirmed based on what we have seen. There could be other explanations.
DeleteAlso, too many conflicts are just too much. SO much has to happen in this movie and it's not even really that long. Is there really time to have Han and Leia come back from being estranged, make up, find out who they're related to, maybe kill Han, plus have all the space battles, lightsaber battles, whatever. Seriously, so much needs to happen in not much more than 2 hours.
We only have to wait NINE more days. Or less for some of you foreign people who get it earlier. The annoying thing is that really, we can debate all we want but we won't know for sure until we see it. Or at least I won't, because I'd rather find out through the course of the actual movie than because I read it online somewhere.
Oh, and lastly about your point on things leaking, remember, there was fake dialog out there for almost everyone but the absolute essentials when it came to finding out Vader was Luke's father. Even the actual man under the mask David Prowse said something different and it was James Earl Jones who dubbed it later. I don't think even Carrie and Harrison knew that.
I admire your optimism LLB! I'm trying to stay optimistic despite the rumours.
DeleteNo, nothing is truly confirmed until we see the movie, but if a source reveals something that there is no way that anyone in the public would know long before it's officially revealed, that shows the source is somewhat reliable and probably did work on the film and not just making stuff up on the Internet. For example, one of the sources that revealed the status of Han and Leia's relationship in TFA predicted that Gwendoline Christine was going to play a silver stormtrooper immediately after she was cast when there was ZERO information out about her, including what kind of character she would play and what her costume would be like. Another source that revealed Han and Leia's relationship predicted the castle scene at Maz's (seen in the trailer) and C-3PO having a red arm way before any official images or trailers came out. Those aren't things that someone could just take a lucky guess at, those are very specific things that the sources predicted that turned out to be ture. So to me that says that those sources actually know something and aren't just random trolls on the Internet. Don't get me wrong, there are definitely people claiming to have worked on TFA who definitely didn't but that's easy to tell because they've said something that's proven to be false like that the desert planet shown was Tatooine or something.
You have a point about rewrites and pick ups. I don't think they would change the script so drastically to not have Han die or something, but it's possible the Han/Leia scenes were rewritten and/or reshot. They have to change the script quite drastically to make Han and Leia together if they weren't originally together, and vice versa though.
To Zyra -- Thanks and yes that's good point about the big spoiler from ESB.
DeleteTo the anon above -- I can't really debate this with you anymore since this is supposed to be a SPOILER-FREE zone. So I'll just agree to disagree. As far as I'm concerned, NOTHING is 100 percent certain until the movie comes out.
-LLB
I agree it would be a triple whammy to have one of their kids dark and/or the other one lost AND have them apart AND have Han die. But I think the first has led to the second. The tragedy of losing one or more of their kids caused them to separate and my prediction is they get back together just before Han dies. It will be a very emotional tender moment. Yes, divorce/separation sucks in real life but in a movie it makes for an interesting storyline. I think JJ Abrams is breaking them up because he cares about their characters and relationship, not because he has it out again them. Breaking them up causes more focus on their relationship in TFA.
DeleteIt's not like they don't care about the relationship, it's obviously a crucial point of the story and is being handled with great care. Think of it like if a sequel came out where Rhett and Scarlet reunited with each other (Kasdan has always referred to Han and Leia as the Rhett and Scarlet of a GFFA). It's not interesting to have them together, it's more dramatic to break them up and bring them together again one last time before Han goes off into the sunset.
- B
There's lots to comment on here.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I had to say something to my coworker who is a Star Wars fan who doesn't read spoilers, yet she puts up with me giving her an occasional one now and then. She said that just because Leia was alone in that new picture doesn't mean that Han isn't in the scene. I told her, "Thank you for helping me keep my mind straight about this."
I was thinking the same thing about the "Anonymous" posters. I can tell who's who either. They need a name.
I think that Harrison changed his tune about playing Han, but I DON'T believe that he's coming back for the next 2 films because he said in an interview that he's wearing the costume for "one last time." That has nothing necess. to do with Han's fate. He might be okay at the end of the movie.
I don't think that Harrison had a problem with being Leia's love interest at all. He mentioned in it one interview. Also, I think that he had a lot to do in "Jedi," and his character arc was finalized in that movie with him ending up with Leia and staying with the rebellion.
I agree with all of the reasons NOT to kill Han off, and that just makes more sense to me than anything else. But sometimes, sense doesn't factor into the equation. I just hope that it's a happy ending for him and Leia. I hope that I haven't wasted any money.
I thought Han had a lot of character development in ROTJ. But Harrison obviously disagrees, he's given numerous interviews about how he was unhappy with how little he had to do and how "thin" a character Han was. If you follow his interviews from 1977-1983 it's clear he doesn't start disliking the character of Han until ROTJ - he's actually quite enthusiastic around the ANH and ESB era. After he got to do Raiders, I think he just fell in love with playing the leading role of Indy and then being reduced to a supporting character in ROTJ was insulting to him I think.
DeleteWhich interview did Harrison say he was putting on the costume one last time? I think if Harrison didn't sign on for Episode VIII and IX, they would kill off his character. It would help propel the story forward and then it avoids having to explain why he isn't around (especially if Leia is) in Episode VIII and IX. I actually wouldn't be surprised if Harrison only agreed to come back on the condition they kill off his character.
- K
I really have to disagree about talk that Han had a lot of character development in ROTJ. I do agree that yes, of course he does man up and join and offer to lead a major mission and accept commission as a general. But there is no scene really where we get to delve into how that affected him, or how he changed, or how he came to that decision. When you get down to it and look at most of his role in that movie, with few exceptions, what he did could've been accomplished by any other random Rebel.
DeleteI'm not saying that he didn't grow at all in the movie. He joined up officially, he started growing up in his relationship with Leia and apologized, he was willing to step aside for Luke if that was what she wanted. But MOST of the movie he is like, comic relief. And just comparing it to ESB where there was a lot to dig into as far as acting goes, it must've been a huge letdown. I don't dislike ROTJ, I love certain moments in it, but I can see why he wouldn't love what he got to do in it.
The funny thing is even some of the interviews contradict each other. I saw another interview where he talked about how George called him and asked him if he would be willing to come back if they did a few more of these. I don't remember the exact wording but it was definitely plural.
I've heard other people say they think he had a condition he would only come back if Han dies. I just don't think he would try and exert that much over the potential story.
Harrison Ford's son said the same thing about him wanting to do more movies when Harrison got injured in the crash, too.
DeleteI don't thing nowadays that Harrison would've signed the contract ONLY if Han died. I think that he's softened a lot.
What timing: I just came across an interview where Harrison mentioned the possibility of coming back for possibly several movies. It doesn't sound like an actual plan, just a tossing out of ideas... nevertheless, here's a link backing up the "plural" part. (about 0:15) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5PqNYGxzyc
Delete(As for signing an anon somehow, good idea. Next step: figuring out how to pick and register for one of these non-anon accounts!)
-E
By the way, here's an interview with JJ Abrams about why Leia didn't become a Jedi: http://widgets.ign.com/video/embed/content.html?url=http://www.ign.com/videos/2015/12/07/star-wars-the-force-awakens-why-leia-didnt-become-a-jedi
ReplyDeleteI saw this earlier today. I liked it.
DeleteThe interview where Harrison mentioned "one last time" was on Jimmy Kimmel or Fallon, I believe.
ReplyDeleteSorry I'm late here, but did Harrison said that he is playing Han "one last time"? I hope not! Please let us know the context of that statement if you know. Thx
ReplyDelete- R
Some are finding hope in this article from Kathleen K. They think this means Harrison will be back. Thoughts?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.popcrunch.com/harrison-f...de-viii-and-other-new-star-wars-developments/
Link doesn't work.
DeleteA post at theforce.net debunking that article (popcrunch is as reliable as the Daily Fail:
DeleteYeah, that article is very misleading, especially since it leaves out the most pertinent detail. I was following the press conference live both through Twitter and other blogs. While it is true that she said something along the lines of, "These guys begin shooting in January," what the article does not point out is that she was looking at and gestured to John, Gwendoline and Oscar, and not Harrison, who was the only one sitting on the opposite side of her. Several of the folks who were there and providing the live blogs/Tweets mentioned that in their coverage.
- K
It's interesting how people can have different interpretations of scenes - the two girls who watched the trailer seem to think that Han and Leia are not together based on the hug we see: http://www.hitfix.com/the-dartboard/star-wars-the-force-awakens-are-han-leia-still-a-thing-she-saidshe-said
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think the hug is quite intimate and shows that even if they are not together that they still love each other, but it seems like other people had a totally different interpretation. Another guy on youtube said that the hug was something that "he'd give an ex-girlfriend who just found out her grandpa died". I mean I know we're looking at through rose-colored Han/Leia glasses, but I just didn't get that at all looking at it.
- K
This is something that I have found extremely interesting about this as well. How so many of us are looking at the same things and interpreting them completely different. Basically it makes me think that all of us are going to see what we want to see. Or we'll see what we really fear to see, or if we're just feeling exceptionally cynical we'll only see the bad possibility. But when you get down to it, what it does show is that JJ or whoever was in charge of this clearly knew exactly what they were doing if they put a shot like that in there and clearly it doesn't give anything away if we are all seeing it differently. I've seen people who took that one shot and took it as clear proof that Han and Leia made it through all those years together. I really don't know, but I do know what I HOPE I see in there.
DeleteI agree that it seems like a more intimate hug. People are saying that it looks like Leia loves Han but Han isn't in love with her anymore? Sorry, but even if I would have to accept an estrangement, I believe truly that if that happened it was due to circumstances or issues that were just beyond what they could deal with, not because they stopped loving each other. I just don't believe for one second they would take the two people we saw in the OT and have them completely fall out of love. Face things that tested them beyond their limits? Yes, sure. I really think it would be way, way too much to come back and tell us that he dumped her and doesn't love her or something like that.
to say by looking at that hug infers that she loves him but he doesn't love her is a totally ridiculous stretch.
DeleteWhatever the case may be (i'm sticking by my guns; they're together, Han doesn't remind me the type to openly show his emotions or break down hysterically in public; He's going to keep it together, for Leia's sake...
Full version of the hug here that shows Han's face:
ReplyDeletehttps://36.media.tumblr.com/474c346937fcc495d7dc5e57788f4763/tumblr_nz21b0TWkf1upjnwqo1_540.jpg
Hmm..what do you guys think? Han's expression is ambiguous. Some people on theforce.net are interpreting it to be that Leia is still in love with Han, but Han is not with Leia.
- K
It is an awesome photo but not the same vibe as the brief scene in the trailer. This one exudes a completely different vibe, but not one that is negative on either of their parts. I read an article recently that stated that JJ and Kasdan stay "respectful" of the events and relationships of the OT so even if H/L are estranged, I do believe there will be some long awaited tender moments as well beaming with love - S.
DeleteK - any more photos of H/L together or separately that have been shared on Tumblr? - S.
DeleteWhat vibe do you get? Leia still looks worried to me, but Han looks less comforting than I expected - more not sure of himself? If Han dies, I hope their last moment together is as heart-wrenching as the carbonite scene.
DeleteI'm trying to post the link to the Han/Leia tumblr site but every time I try this site eats my post. I'll try again later.
- K
Maybe it's just Han knowing he has to be the strong one? Who knows? And that is, as far as I can tell, a publicity shot and not a still from the movie. His "look" may be different in what we actually see in the movie. Maybe.
DeleteWhat if Han goes in carbonite in this and he doesn't come out until episode IX? What would we even do?!?
Is it a publicity shot? I thought it was a still from the hug we see in the trailer, just a wider frame. It looks the same (same outfits, same position of Han and Leia).
DeleteAnd speaking of that, is anyone else annoyed by the lack of Han/Leia publicity pictures? When ESB and ROTJ came out there were a ton of Han/Leia photo shoots. Now we've had like 5 with Han and Chewie and NONE with Han/Leia? It sort of annoys me how JJ Abrams goes on about how he wants to respect the OT so he has Han with Chewie and Han flying with Falcon but then if he estranges Han and Leia, he didn't pay much respect to their relationship. Grr...
I agree completely with Zyra, this to me is definitely not a still from the movie but something you would see later down the line in a "Making of TFA" collectors book. I posted later down this thread that Williams revamped Han and Leia's theme for the movie soundtrack. If they aren't together or reconcile at all this movie, what sense would it make to use their theme? You can hear it in the official trailer near the beginning - S.
DeleteI think even the most pessimistic of rumours has Han and Leia having a tender scene and hinting at reconciliation if they are estranged. I'm sure the Han/Leia scene will be playing then. Personally, though, even a really great Han/Leia love scene will not make up for it if they have been estranged for years beforehand and Han dies after.
Delete- K
I always felt that their hug in ROTJ after their little argument in the Ewok village (when Leia asks him to hold her) was a little quirky with little emotion on Han's part. Their other embraces were great, except for that one in particular. That is sort of the vibe I get from the above picture, not that it exudes a lack of loving on Han's part. I always imagined that Han fell for Leia first and she came around much later - S.
DeleteTo the poster discussing the publicity shot vs. movie still (wow there are a lot of you anonymous people) that is just my guess. That looks like a posed photo to me rather than taken right from the movie. I could be wrong. In the trailer his hand is also on the back of her head. Not that this couldn't be a few moments later or whatever, but it's just my interpretation.
DeleteAs for lack of photos of them in general, my thought is this is intentional to keep us from knowing either something specific or just too much in general. Maybe most of her scenes are with him and there aren't more photos because it'd give away too much? Honestly I'm sort of glad we don't have too much of that already, because I don't want to already know every moment they'll be together before I see it. I'd like some surprises. GOOD surprises, hopefully. Then after it comes out we can have all kinds of pictures we hadn't seen.
I agree the hug in ROTJ was quite awkward, but Han has no clue what is going on there so I can forgive him a little. I totally agree about Han falling in love with her first and she came around later. We even did a poll on that (can't remember if we did a post too) a while back, and the results should still be in the sidebar, and most people agreed with that.
I agree Han definitely fell for Leia first and she was the one denying it!
DeleteQuestion, so I've seen some people speculate (mostly non Han/Leia fans) that if Han and Leia are in fact not together any more, that they have remained good friends and still keep in touch while Han does occasional missions for the Resistance and such and that the "hug" is just a hug between old friends who have gone through a lot and still maybe have some feelings left for each other. What do you guys think of that scenario? Personally, I don't see Han and Leia ever being the chill exes that grab a drink together on occasion. They're both too passionate and emotional for that. Either they're together or they're not, and if they aren't they've cut off contact completely.
The other scenario floated is that they're no longer together together but Han stops by the Resistance Base every so often and spends the night with Leia, thus allowing them to keep the spark going while still too much has happened between them for them to have a full blown relationship and now they're both leading separate lives. Again, I might prefer this scenario to the just friends one but...to put a modern day spin on it, I feel like Leia just ends up being in a Friends with Benefis scenario where she's probably only sleeping with Han and Han isn't remaining monogamous and...argh. I just feel like Leia would have too much self respect for that. Sue Zahn did an excellent fanfic with this exact scenario like 20 years ago called Portside Girl and it was really heartbreaking.
So yeah. If they HAVE to be split up, I'd prefer they had no contact with each other because they still love each other and it's just too painful to see the other person. What do you guys think?
- K
In the actual movie still of their embrace (the more emotional one with Han's hand supporting her head) I noticed some officers in the background looking in their direction watching them. Which is why I sort of think it's a moment between them before he leaves again to go somewhere and it's a bit of a shock to see them holding each other out in the public (assuming they previously had not been on good terms). Hence why I'm of the belief that they split for some serious reason, still love each other very deeply but because of both their hardheaded stubbornness, they took a really long time to come together again but some different event made them realize they need one another - S.
DeleteI have no reason to post anonymously any more ;)
I could actually see the second scenario being plausible. The first, no. They have too much chemistry and passion between them to ever be "just friends". The second scenario is unromantic in the modern world because it usually involves one person who wants to be in a relationship and one person who's just using the other person for sex. In the Star Wars world though, I could believe a scenario where they had a tragedy (like one of their kids going evil) separate them. They still love each other, but Leia deals with her grief by throwing herself into her work with the Resistance and Han goes back to his old ways of smuggling with Chewie. But they have an "arrangement" where they meet up every so often and spend the night together. They still love each, they just can't be together in the traditional sense.
DeleteI think I would prefer that to them not having seen each other in 20 years when we see them in TFA and having to read about Leia being courted by some Rebel officer and Han having a string of short lived romances like in the Crispin/Daly books in the new EU.,,
- R
That's one thing that I'm dreading in the new EU. I really, really don't want to read about their romantic relationships with other people during the time they're separated if they are in fact separated. The EU traditionally seems to be more keen on pairing Leia up with others, but realistically Han will be the one having flings while he and Leia are split up. Leia I see more likely that she just buries herself in her work. I know it's "realistic" that Han would go back to his pre-ANH days of womanizing, but I don't want to read about it. The real world is depressing enough already - in the past few months, at least 8 of my friends have announced divorces. Don't want to read about it in my fandom with my OTP either...
Delete- K
It must be an epidemic, I know I think TEN couples that in the last 12-18 months have announced divorces. I'm with you, I get enough reality in reality. And if they are apart too much it would be completely unrealistic that neither of them, especially Han, didn't see anyone else. I don't want to read about that, either. It would also ruin all of the Han and Leia couples merchandise.
DeleteThere is just about no way they would do a friends with benefits scenario. These are also kids movies, so you can't just have Leia shacking up with a smuggler when he comes around. Gah, I don't know what to think.
Honestly, I don't know if it's because I got my "who's scruffy lookin?" T-shirt today and i'm feeling super optimistic but I can't (or refuse to) believe that Han and Leia won't be together... To me, that picture simply shows a couple comforting each other over a mutual problem. Come on, I couldn't have been waiting for 32 years for that sequel for them being divorced or not in love anymore... Disney is known for their family oriented movies and happy endings well I hope they'll give me just that!
ReplyDeleteI definitely think they are still in love with each other. The SW universe is owed that at the least.
DeleteDid you see Harrison's interview with "Extra" and Mario Lopez? He specifically states that George called him and asked if he would be Han Solo for a couple films like 2 or 3. Seriously, check it out. I can't link it here, but it's on the last page of the "Harrison Ford" Thread on the jedi boards. I heard it myself and it did sound positive.
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Very interesting conversation here. I appreciate these comments and potential spoilers over the stuff popping up in my FB feeds. Everyone makes very good points, especially the point about a triple whammy of doom to our fav characters that would really piss off s ton of fans. I am saving a glimmer of hope that there is some kind of happy tune or ending. Don't forget that Williams has completely revamped Han and Leia's beautiful theme and it is used in the main trailer. I can't get enough of it, this sound track and score is going to be exceptionally phenomenal. - S.
ReplyDeleteWhen are you guys watching? I would love to watch it on December 17 but I cannot because work so going to watch it instead on December 19!!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm watching it the first possible moment the general public in the US can watch it. I wouldn't be able to handle waiting. I'm already nervous just that other countries are getting it a day or two before us because I don't want to see anything before I get to see it!
DeleteDecember 17th at 7pm ET! I was joking today that if my ancestors didn't leave France for Canada hundred of years ago I could have seen it on the 16th!
DeleteIt's so unfair that these other countries get it first! Even if it opened on the exact same day world wide the US (and Canada and I guess South America) would STILL be the last to see it because of time zones. Now their advantage is just getting bigger.
DeleteCould be worst, in China, the release date is in January!
DeleteYou definitely made me feel just a little bit better by telling me that.
DeleteWe will be enjoying on the 19th at 430pm EST. I've started to un-follow most of the SW groups on FB because I'm starting to feel like I don't really want to be spoiled any more than I already have been (other than H/L's relationship status).
DeleteDecember 17, 8pm EST! Can't wait. I thought I had to wait until the 20th, but then discovered a small local theatre had lots of tickets left on the 17th. Just about fell over with happiness... When do the other countries get it? I'm starting to avoid any searches on "Star Wars" in order to avoid spoilers... -E
ReplyDeleteI saw the photo. I love it! They both look like they love each other very much. Han looks like he's being very supportive of Leia.
ReplyDeleteHave you seen the clip of Han and Rey where Han gives Rey a blaster, and Rey is totally snarky towards Han? He gives it right back to her:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCGLEivuObI
I'll have to check out that Mario Lopez interview.
There was supposed to be a TV spot of Leia in a long dress. Do you happen to have that clip as well?
DeleteThat new picture just further confirms my theory that the picture is an end-of-the-movie picture. You can see very clearly people just standing around in the background and not running out to battle.
ReplyDeleteAnd...is that a different ring on Leia's finger?
ReplyDeleteI've only ever seen her wear one ring in any of the photos, and it's the same one in anything I've seen. I notice Han does not wear a ring at all though...Boo. That doesn't mean they can't still be married (and possibly temporarily estranged).
DeleteI think it's the same ring. And nobody worry about wedding rings. I mean, sure they still might not be married anyway, but nobody in the Star Wars universe wears wedding rings so that proves nothing.
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