As Solo: A Star Wars Story cruises through its opening holiday weekend, director Ron Howard revealed one famous cameo that didn’t quite make the cut: Academy Award-winning actor Tom Hanks.
“Tom Hanks was really interested in being a stormtrooper,” Howard told JOE.ie. “It would’ve been great. It was shooting and he just couldn’t get there.”
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Howard first directed Hanks in the 1984 fantasy romantic comedy Splash. Since then, the two have become firm friends, reteaming for 1995’s Apollo 13, 2006’s The Da Vinci Code, 2009’s Angels and Demons and 2016’s Inferno. While Hanks was unable to visit Solo‘s production to film a cameo, Howard offered hope that perhaps the Forrest Gump star might make it to that galaxy far, far away eventually.
“Now that Lucasfilm knows that Hanks is interested, I’m sure they’ll work it out someday,” he added.
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The new wave of Star Wars films have been full of cameos with famous actors and filmmakers appearing briefly, eager to become even a small part on-screen of the Star Wars universe. In 2015’s The Force Awakens, James Bond actor Daniel Craig and Rogue One composer Michael Giacchino appeared as stormtroopers. The Last Jedi filmmaker Rian Johnson appeared in Rogue One as a stormtrooper, a favor Johnson repaid the following year by having Rogue One director Gareth Edwards cameo as a stormtrooper in The Last Jedi along with Prince William and Prince Harry. Venom actor Tom Hardy also filmed a cameo as a stormtrooper, though his scene was ultimately cut from the 2017 movie.
With J.J. Abrams returning to direct and co-write next year’s Episode IX, hopefully the new tradition can continue with a certain A-list actor under the First Order armor.
In theaters now, director Ron Howard’s Solo: A Star Wars Story stars Alden Ehrenreich as Han Solo, Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian, Emilia Clarke as Qi’ra, and Joonas Suotamo as Chewbacca. They’re joined by Thandie Newton as Val, Phoebe Waller-Bridge L3-37, Paul Bettany as Dryden Vos, and Woody Harrelson as Tobias Beckett.