Shredding a Better Solo

Well hello there, loyal reader. The clocks have sprung ahead, and hibernation is over. There's much to write about, so let's get into it. First, I am putting out this idea that I had way back during season 2 of Lost: If any new Star Wars movies covering the Han Solo era should be made, Josh Holloway, Lost's James 'Sawyer' Ford, is the only possible choice for the character of Han Solo. It is obvious in an inevitable way. Just watch Lost, and realize it for yourself. Holloway pulls of the deep-steeled scoundrel-with-a-hero's-heart as well as Harrison Ford did in SW Episodes IV-VI. Holloway takes it a step further though, portraying a deeper emotional range that I can't recall in any Harrison Ford movie . . . well, maybe Air Force One, but only because Gary Oldman made Harry step up his game by pinning his head to a control panel for a solid twenty seconds. I would have been on the verge of tears too. I credit Oldman's commitment for Ford's performance.

Holloway doesn't require physical pain to express emotional range. Just look at his reaction shot to seeing Kate return to the island at the end of the most recent episode. He's a certified bad-ass with a sense of humor and a big heart for troubled alpha-females. As strong as she is as Kate, Evangeline Lilly is no Princess Leia, but Josh Holloway is Han-freaking-Solo to the core.

So who else might be appropriate for a 21st century, Han Solo era, Star Wars film? Well, the obvious choice for Leia is Natalie Portman, but that just makes me groan. She was nothing to write home about in SW Episodes I-III, but I blame George Lucas for that. He put fireworks over character and story development, and the acting suffered. Natalie Portman definitely has the acting chops--look no further than V for Vendetta for evidence of that--but the SW franchise would need a clean break from Episodes I-III just to re-establish some credibility. It could use some visual minimalism with an emphasis on character and storytelling. It all comes back to writing and directing.

If not Portman, then who? What about Luke Skywalker? How 'bout Ryan Gosling? I'm open to ideas. Discuss! Holloway is non-negotiable though.