Should they just use de-aging technology on Harrison Ford & Billy Dee Williams?

I think their acting and voices would belie their age, even if you could convincingly "de-age" them. I remember when they did that to Jeff Bridges in Tron 2. It didn't look great. Of course, that was years ago so it's probably gotten better.

 

I think you're answering your own question. From what I read, they were extremely nervous about that shot in Ant Man and it was one of the last to be completed; they almost cut it and went with an alternate opening. It sounds like this tech is still crazy expensive and time-costly to try and do it convincingly for an entire film.

I think it's more likely they'll do up whoever the cast to look more like Ford (and Williams, if Lando is in the movie), like how Joseph Gordon Levitt in Looper was made up to look like a younger Bruce Willis. But by 2018, who knows where we'll be with tech like this.

 

After seeing that scene in Ant-Man, I feel it might be the best way, but like @Luuke and @jmjawors said there might be complications with young Han's movement and voice if he's played by an older and less nimble Harrison Ford. I would still love to see what they could do with it though.

 

I'm pretty sure that Billy Dee Williams can still do more or less the voice he had in the movies but Ford's voice has changed a lot, he doesn't sound like he use to it happens with age. So i'm going to go with no.

 

In the movie, Han Solo and Lando Calrissian will probably be in their early twenties. Harrison Ford and Billy Dee Williams do not only have to look that age (which could be done with the technique) but also run and jump and move that age. Although they are good actors, that seems much harder to achieve.

Do note that I have not seen Ant Man yet, so it is difficult for me to say how good the technique works. However, it might have worked in a five-minute scene, but it might not work for an entire movie with both action and dramatic scenes.

Lucas Film has a history of pushing the limits of digital techniques. They might decide to take the technique from Ant Man and bring it to the next level. I would not be surprised if they would want to explore the possibilities of this technique.

However, Harrison Ford seemed happy with the character development that the writers of TFA had given Han Solo. A movie about a young Han Solo might feel (for Harrison Ford) as a step back. He might not be willing to play a young Han Solo.

 

I agree with all your points, there are just to many issues to consider other than simply replacing their faces with deaging technology. The fact is, the scene in Ant Man was done in a controlled setting with controlled lighting. It isn't really viable for scenes other than that, and should only be used sparingly. One's eye will definitely catch on to the unreality of it when exposed to it over a longer period of time.

As Darth Daigo pointed out as well, you also have to consider the athletic requirements involved and the natural way a person's voice ages over time. Frankly, I think that deaging would come off as much cheesier than simply recasting another promising young actor.

I have some doubts about them recasting Han as well(and the necessity of this film in general really), but my doubts would jump a hundred fold if I thought they were considering something like this. Honestly, I think if they wanted to explore Han's youth, it would have been better to handle it in an animated format.

 

I agree with above, even if de-aging ford was disney's fist choice (which I doubt very much) Harrison is probably not on board.

 

I wonder how much that would cost...

The guy who played young Harrison in "Age of Adaline" looks like a good fit for Han, too, although I doubt he wants to make a career out of playing young Harrison Ford. As for Lando, I think that casting is even trickier. Williams has such a distinctive voice, I really can't imagine what they're going to do there.

 

Stunt doubles can do all the physical stuff. That's not a problem. The issue is the body type. Neither Ford nor Williams have the body of a 20 year old. It's proven that the face can be made to look younger and be believable. But there's no way around the rest of the body. Peter Cushing will be a different case though 'cause (if true) he'll be CGI'd from scratch, and not digitally altered after being filmed. That's a big difference.

 

I think the bigger issue is not them looking young but acting young. You can "make" them look younger than the OT but I doubt either of them will be able to move around like they were younger. Running might even be out of the question. And do we really want to see a Han movie with no action?

 

I'm not thrilled to see Lando again. He brings nothing to the table.

 

Harrison doesn't sound like he did when he was in the OT. Gonna be weird hearing old Harrison as young Han. So no. Anthony Ingruber.

 

NO


very bad idea.....

 

I think though, the fact that this question is asked points to an undercurrent of concern:

Is Harrison Ford just so good at Han Solo that no one else is going to be able to pull it off and make it fly with fans?

 

If they can do it with ARNOLD in the terminator movies why not? But yes just get Anthony ingruber! For Lando get Donald Glover!

 

I'd love to see that happen instead of having a young actor but an entire movie would be extremely expensive and impossible to do.

Flashback in Episode VIII with a young original cast? Please and Thank You

 

that was so weird. i couldn't look at him.

i'm voting no on de-aging technology and/or prosthetics/makeup to the degree it was used in Looper.

maybe even no to even doing these prequels. but i'm gonna stay open to it for now. hahaha

 

I think recasting is a very tricky situation...for example, I read yesterday that Joseph Fiennes (Voldemort's Little Brother) was cast to play Michael Jackson in a movie and I don't see it working much like how, whoever is cast, will have to act their way into the role besides just looking like original .

 

One scene is ok. However, an entire film?

No.....

Beter to recast someone who LOOKS like he could be a young HAN SOLO