There’s two things we knew would happen as soon as Ron Howard took over the directing duties on the Han Solo movie earlier this summer. One, we knew he wouldn’t make any waves, and just finish the damned movie like a professional (for better or worse). And two, we knew he’d bring his little brother Clint Howard along for the ride, a suspicion that Ron Howard just confirmed via his Twitter account.
Ever since Ron Howard made the transition from acting to directing with 1977’s Grand Theft Auto, he’s reserved a role in most of his movies for Clint Howard. The distinctive character actor got his start in the acting business just a few years after Ron Howard and soon became a prominent child star, with memorable roles in Star Trek and the Winnie the Pooh cartoons (he played the voice of Roo) and starred in the classic television series Gentle Ben for two seasons.
Universal Pictures
Clint Howard hasn’t appeared in every single one of Ron Howard’s movies, but he has appeared in 17 of them (not including Han Solo), so fans of either brother – or both – have come to expect and appreciate the sense of continuity throughout their careers. The seventeen Ron Howard films in which Clint Howard appears are: Grand Theft Auto, Cotton Candy (Made for TV), Night Shift), Splash, Cocoon, Gung Ho, Parenthood, Backdraft, Far and Away, The Paper, Apollo 13, EdTV, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Missing, Cinderella Man, Frost/Nixon and The Dilemma.
Most of these roles were small, many of them little more than extended cameos. And since Ron Howard only came aboard the Han Solo movie during the last leg of shooting, after the casting had already been completed, it’s safe to say that Clint Howard’s role will be relatively minor. But by god, he’ll be in there. And fans of Clint Howard’s stellar work in classy movies and schlocky cult favorites like Ice Cream Man and The Dentist 2 and House of the Dead will no doubt rejoice as soon as they see him.
That Han Solo movie, which still doesn’t have an official title, is scheduled to come out on May 25, 2018.
Slideshow: The Almost Stars of ‘Star Wars’
Top Photo: Brian Killian/WireImage
William Bibbiani (everyone calls him ‘Bibbs’) is Crave’s film content editor and critic. You can hear him every week on Canceled Too Soon and watch him on the weekly YouTube series What the Flick. Follow his rantings on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.
Almost Stars of Star Wars
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Sylvester Stallone as Han Solo
Sly did indeed audition for the role of Han Solo, and picturing the wise-cracking jet pilot as something more of a Rocky-like lummox is amusing to ponder. Stallone was, however, quickly looked over by George Lucas, and he never got a callback.
Photo – United Artists
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Ryan Phillippe as Anakin Skywalker
When Attack of the Clones was in production, there was a bitter fight in Hollywood as to who would play the young Darth Vader, in the pre-mask days. The pouty-lipped Ryan Phillippe was already a known quantity in the biz, and got so far as readings with other actors, before he lost the role to Hayden Christiansen. Phillippe may have been too young, or perhaps not “dark” enough.
Photo – Columbia Pictures
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James Woods as Han Solo
Harrison Ford may be irreplaceable in people's minds as Han Solo, but James Woods would have, I think, been an improvement. Han Solo is a flip, wisecracker, right? Who better to give off a cynical attitude than the excellent James Woods? He auditioned for the role, but was turned down.
Photo – Universal Pictures
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Karen Allen as Princess Leia
Why she was not hired is anyone's guess, but Karen Allen – pre-Animal House – did indeed audition to play Princess Leia, long before she entered the action/adventure canon as Marion Ravenwood in Raiders of the Lost Ark. I feel she would have made a more human, earthier version of the character, as Carrie Fisher is, comparatively, daintier and prettier.
Picture - Paramount
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Kurt Russell as Han Solo
One can find video evidence of Kurt Russell's audition online, meaning he came close to landing the role of Han Solo. I adore Kurt Russell, as does every right-thinking person, but his audition was a bit awkward, and he is perhaps too genial and heroic to be the cynical sidekick of the series.
Photo – Columbia Pictures
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P.J. Soles as Princess Leia
There was once a rumor that Carrie Fisher was up for the P.J. Soles role in Brian De Palma's Carrie, and Soles was up for Princess Leia, but Fisher was rejected on account of nudity. Fisher would have done the nudity, however, and the rumors are not true. The spunky Soles, however, did audition for Princess Leia. Had she landed the part, it would have made for a very different movie.
Photo – New World Pictures
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Robert Englund as Han Solound
Yes, there was a time when Robert Englund was not known for horror, and was merely a struggling actor just like all his contemporaries. Englund auditioned for Solo, but was considered too young for the part, and perhaps not '70s dashing enough. Legend has it, though, that it was Englund who encouraged Mark Hamill for the role of Luke Skywalker.
Photo – Mars Productions Corporation
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Mel Blanc as C-3PO
The famed voice of Bugs Bunny, Barney Rubble, and a thousand others was once considered to dub over C-3PO's lines the same way James Earl Jones dubbed over David Prowse for Darth Vader. Blanc was, and is, a legend in the voice acting world, and there's no doubt he could have come up with an iconic and great vice for the fey robot. Lucas eventually let actor Anthony Daniels read his own lines.
Photo – public domain
