Star Warsfans have argued for decades about whetherHan Solo shot firstinA New Hopewhen he meets up with Greedo. The original 1977 cut of the movie prominently features the smuggler blasting Greedo away, therefore shooting first. However, George Lucas tinkered with the scene, along with many others, in future releases featuring Greedo getting off a shot and missing, which Lucas says is official canon. These alterations to the original theatrical cuts have angered fans over the years, but the creative team and cast ofSolo: A Star Warsstory are here to set the record straight once and for all.
In a new interview,Solo: A Star Wars Storyscreenwriters Lawrence and Jonathan Kasdan reveal that Han definitely shot first and that they wanted to make that fact “deliberate” in the new spin-off movie. Lawrence reveals that subject was at the top of his list when tackling the project. He said, “Yeah. It was very important to me, like top of the list.” Jonathan doubled down and said that there can be “no doubt that Han shot first.” He had this to say.
“To both of us. We are firmly in the camp. In the script, the description literally says,There can be no doubt Han shot first.”
If knowing that Han shot first was written in the script forSolo: A Star Wars Storywasn’t enough, the entire cast agrees as well. Alden Ehrenreich, Donald Glover, Emilia Clarke, and Paul Bettany were all recently interviewed on Sirius/XM where they all agreed that Han shot first. Ehrenreich believes that the whole mythology of the subject is “fun” and lends itself to the “cowboy swagger” of Han Solo. Additionally, it was in the first theatrical cut ofA New Hope, so how could anybody really argue?
There will still beStar Warsfans who will disagree with the idea that Han shot first, but it is now official canon once more, thanks toSolo. The scene in question won’t be spoiled here, but if you haven’t seen the film yet, you’ll recognize it right away when you’re in the theater. Jonathan Kasdan even says that the scene “couldn’t have been more deliberate.” There really is no denying it now, but somewhere, somehow, this topic will continue to be a point of contention.
Solo: A Star Wars Storyfinally opens in theaters this Friday after a bumpy production. The very public behind-the-scenes drama still lingers in the air, but Ron Howard and crew have gone out of their way to make the best possibleStar Warsmovie that they could make. The early reviews and first reactions are all mostly positive, with some calling it their favoriteStar Warsmovie of all time. We’ll have to wait and see what the hardcore fans decide to make of it in a few days. For now, you may read the interview with Jonathan and Lawrence Kasdan atUproxx.
