I am having a very hard time keeping track of all of the off shoots to the Star Wars Universe. I’m a pretty big Star Wars fan so it’s not lack of interest. But I can’t keep straight the backstories, new stories and prequels to the prequels. We have been hearing about the Han Solo spinoff for a while. The film will supposedly cover a young (but not child) Han Solo about the time that he wins the Millennium Falcon from Lando Calrissian. We know there were multiple rounds of testing – practically endless, one might say – before deciding on Alden Ehrenreich for Han and Donald Glover as Lando. The same thought and effort went into the female lead, apparently, and after several rounds of tests, Emilia Clarke landed the role. Cue the Game of Thrones/Star Wars crossover jokes:
Westeros and a galaxy far, far away are colliding! “Game of Thrones” breakout Emilia Clarke is joining the “Star Wars” Han Solo spinoff.
Clarke will star opposite Alden Ehrenreich and Donald Glover, who play Solo and fellow smuggler Lando Calrissian, respectively.
All three leads endured grueling testing sessions for the standalone pic. The tests date back to the beginning of the year when thousands of actors first began meeting and reading for the role of the title character that Ehrenreich eventually nabbed.
“Selma” and “Creed” star Tessa Thompson, “Power Rangers” actress Naomi Scott, and Zoe Kravitz read for the female lead in October. Another group, which included Clarke, “Dope’s” Kiersey Clemons, fellow “Thrones” actress Jessica Henwick, and “Emerald City” star Adria Arjona tested in London. Clarke ultimately landed the role.
I like Emilia in that I find her really cute in interviews. I have watched some GoT but I am not too familiar with her work outside that. As I’m currently fascinated with Tessa Thompson, I find it hard to believe she didn’t get the role but she has Thor: Ragnorak so she doesn’t need another franchise. We really don’t know what the role is so it’s hard to say who should be cast in it. Popular thought is the female lead might be Sana Starros who claimed to have married Solo to cover a bank robbery but Solo denied happened. If so, it would certainly be a twist on the usual “girlfriend” role.
The movie is expected May 2018. I am among the unpopular few who thought Star Wars: The Force Awakens was just okay. So my enthusiasm for these movies has not ramped up yet, although I do I appreciate their strong female leads and all inclusive casting. Since the major GoT characters are expected to wrap by the end of this year, Emilia won’t have to worry about schedule conflicts. Emilia’s casting does make me wonder if the Star Wars Universe wouldn’t benefit greatly from a dragon or two, though. I mean, what wouldn’t? Speaking of things that only improve the SWU, I just found out the character Admiral Raddus, a Mon Calamari officer in Rogue One, was inspired by Winston Churchill. Along with dragons, I think the inclusion of Winston Churchill makes anything better. I think I’ll write my own Lando/Churchill spinoff in which Emilia teaches both to ride a dragon.
Speaking of people that need to join the Star Wars Universe – Emilia with Joanna Lumley
Photo credit: WENN Photos
Danny glover? Um?? Donald glover???
Lol – I was confused by that at first too, thinking that surely Danny Glover is much too old to play a young Lando!
My mind jumped straight to his Lethal Weapon character saying: “I’m too old for this shit!”
She can’t act and I don’t see all the beauty when GOT fans talk about her.
I’m a big GoT’s fan and her acting is completely wooden. She has zero range. I do think she is very pretty and seems very sweet though.
Talent has pretty much nothing to do with casting choices these days, sigh.
People say the same thing about Felicity Jones and Daisy Ridley acting is completely wooden, but she’s charming. Maybe thats all it takes to nab a role in Star Wars universe. All in all i am happy with the casting choice for the female leads. Also i am big a Got fan and rooting for Khaleesi from the begining
I agree. I just don’t see the hype about Emilia at all. I really, really don’t. She seems very likable in interviews but I think of many other actresses who are more charismatic on screen and better actresses than her.
Count me as another one who felt the Force Awakens was just okay. I can’t say I feel a Han Solo movie is necessary and probably the best casting in this so far has been Donald Glover.
Saw Tessa Thompson in Westworld last week and she was really good, she would have been a better choice then Emilia.
I find her very pretty but her acting is not always that strong. In fact, her acting has more or less been criticized in the Terminator and Me Before You by a fair amount of critics…so I am kind of surprised she won the role over Kiersey, Tessa, etc. Perhaps because she is the biggest name? To be fair, I thought she was pretty good in the last season of GOT so I think she has the ability to be decent with the right script and direction. Plus, sometimes all movie stars need is an okay ability and a strong screen presence. Jason Stratham is not a great actor but he pops off the screen.
*Unpopular opinion but Daisy, on the other hand, is a far worse actress than Emilia. I feel like Daisy skates by on being “charming” and “cute.” She was fine in some scenes, but when she was with John Boyega or when Oscar Isaac came on the screen she came across as very bland.
I think she’s very charming, sweet, gorgeous, she’s really quite beautiful and she’s great as Daenerys. Great smile. *
*notherpragent
ITA about Daisy – personally I feel she only got cast because she looks like Natalie Portman/Kiera Knightly and that was deliberate due to the plot (she’s a skywalker). In TFA the only scenes i found Daisy bearable in were the early ones with John Boyega (who is a very good actor), their chemistry was what saved her from being 100% bad. Emilia is the better actress of the 2.
Of the 3 Felicity Jones is the much better and more talented actresses.
I think the slightly wooden acting is what they are going for- the movies have this campy vibe that gives them a completely different feel. Almost like theater.
I love her and I am so glad that she is in this. I actually was not even that interests in the film before the news. I know some poeple do not like her acting in GoT but I do and Daenerys is meant to be a bit lost and playing a part of the Queen so she is not supposed to be that natural.
But I hope one of the other actresses gets cast as well. Why can’t there be 2 major female roles? And the actresses sounded promising.
For all the comparison to Daisy and Felicity, I do think they’re better actresses than her – Felicity in particular was great in Like Crazy (RIP Anton Yelchin /sob).
But she’s pretty and charming and, unlike Daisy and Felicity, is not the main protagonist of this movie. It could work.
I think Felicity is heads and shoulders above Emilia and Daisy in terms of talent.
Terrible actress. And all these SW brunettes look identical.
Exactly what I was coming to say: Emilia, Daisy, Felicity. Just going on looks, these Star Wars folks certainly have a type.
Apart from Felicity, the current crop of Brit actresses getting in Franchise roles is a bit disappointing as a) its the same ones and b) the are pretty girls but don’t have much talent.
Emilia comes across as a really great person, Daisy not so much – she has come across as a bit snotty in some interviews and is way too try hard on SM.
AHAHAHAHAHA! OK Lucasfilm, fess up: who has the fetish for British brunettes? 😉
Seriously it is getting weird.
It’s edging into Christopher Nolan territory!
I would have loved Tessa Thompson to get this. She’s a good actress and very distinctive.
I agree with the consensus that don’t think Emilia Clarke can act. Someone mentioned her getting cast on charisma alone, but I don’t think that was it either because every time I’ve seen her in a film or on tv she has very little screen presence.
Personally I find game of thrones dull and overrated. But she was flawless in terminator genesys. A great addition to the Star Wars universe.
Ugh
Why can’t Han and Lando be the couple?