**Spoilers ahead** With earnings approaching $2 billion worldwide, the amount of filmgoers who haven’t yet seen "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" is greatly dwarfed by those who have, but lips are getting a bit looser about some of the film’s big reveals. But J.J. Abrams wants to clarify one thing, so he made the most of his opportunity at the ongoing Television Critics Association press tour.
“First of all, I didn’t kill Harrison Ford, just for the record,” he joked.
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Of course, he’s referring to the death of Han Solo in the movie, which as we know, happens at the hands of his son Kylo Ren. It was one of the film’s genuinely surprising moments, putting to rest one of the franchise’s most beloved characters. Abrams explains why he decided to hasten Solos’ demise. “We knew we needed to do something that was bold and maybe unexpected,” he explained. My guess is that Ford, who wanted Solo to die all the way back in "Empire Strikes Back," was likely eager to get closure on the character.
But the character is far from finished on the big screen. A Han Solo spinoff movie focused on a younger iteration of the character is in the works, with a shortlist of actors revealed earlier this week, and the news has come down that Solo might appear in the currently filming "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story." Abrams has some advice for the actor who winds up getting the role and how to get prepared.
“Watch ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark.’ It’ll all be right there,” he said. Good tip.
Lastly, Adam Driver, aka Kylo Ren, will be hosting "Saturday Night Live" this weekend. Check out the promo below. [Variety]