It's an exciting time to be a Star Wars fan. With Disney now in charge of the beloved property, there is an abundance of new content being produced and released for its generations of fans. While Solo: A Star Wars Story is next up on the list, cinephiles are still reeling from the events of Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Rian Johnson's subversive sequel challenged what we thought about the galaxy far, far away, and there were a ton of scenes left on the cutting room floor. One of them included Luke's emotional reaction to the news of Han Solo's death, and it turns out that Mark Hamill wishes that sequence made it into the film. He said,
Yes, of course because it shows Luke was putting on a facade in front of Rey and even Chewie, that he was embittered and sort of a broken man. And I think the fact that he could let his emotions out when he was by himself would have made an impact on the audience because it allowed them to grieve the loss of Han Solo just the way Luke felt it. But that always happens in films. You say, 'Oh, what about this scene where this happens or that happens?; because you want to give the fullest experience that you can. And like you say, it was brief enough that I was -- [chuckles] They had time for me to milk that big alien but to show any human emotion? Nah, we don't have time for that. But again it's not my call.
While there was plenty of great stuff that ended up cut from Star Wars: The Last Jedi, fans and actors alike seemed to miss Luke dealing with the news of his friend's death. The trio of heroes carried the original trilogy, and Han was obviously very close to Luke. Since Han's funeral wasn't included in The Last Jedi, it would have been a method for the character to be truly and collectively grieved. But ultimately the movie had to be cut down for runtime, and Luke's scene got the chop.
Mark Hamill's comments to IGN also point out that Rian Johnson and the director's had a job to do, and he understood that cuts had to be made in order for The Last Jedi to not run too long. It ultimately had a runtime of 152 minutes, which is no walk in the park all things considered. I'd argue it has enough to carry its runtime, but the myriad cuts made it possible.
It should be interesting to see where Solo: A Star Wars Story ultimately clocks in, since it no doubt has less dense material to cover. Much of the next standalone film's details are still very much a mystery, as the franchise keeps its cards close to the chest.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is currently available On Demand and for home purchase, and Solo: A Star Wars Story will arrive in theaters on May 25, 2018. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
