Retro-Cast: Casting The Star Wars Original Trilogy In The 2010s

When George Lucas cast the original Star Wars trilogy in the late ‘70s, he tapped mostly unknown actors like Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher. But if the director hadn’t made the movies until the 2010s, the studio might’ve pushed him to cast bigger stars to have a better chance at success.

The 2010s did bring its own Star Wars trilogy, with some fans accusing it of borrowing so much from the original movies that it’s basically a soft remake, but it’s ultimately a new story with new characters. These actors could’ve played roles in the original trilogy if it was produced in the 2010s.

10 Dave Bautista As Darth Vader

In the original trilogy, the iconic Darth Vader was brought to life with a combination of David Prowse’s towering physicality and James Earl Jones’ rich, booming voice. Guardians of the Galaxy’s Dave Bautista might have been able to handle both. Bautista basked in classic villainy without sacrificing any of the intimidation factor when he played henchman Mr. Hinx in Spectre.

His nuanced portrayal of Drax suggests he could also have played the redeemed Anakin and wouldn’t need to be swapped out for Sebastian Shaw in the heartfelt climax of Return of the Jedi.

9 Saoirse Ronan As Leia

The combination of fun, pathos, and dry wit that Carrie Fisher brought to the role of Leia Organa in the original trilogy could be replicated by Lady Bird’s Saoirse Ronan. Ronan was previously shortlisted for the role of Rey before Daisy Ridley was cast.

Ronan’s performances in Atonement, Brooklyn, and most recently Ammonite have proven her to be one of Hollywood’s biggest working talents.

8 Timothée Chalamet As Han

Alden Ehrenreich was a dead ringer for a young Harrison Ford in 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story, but if the role of Han was being cast from scratch in the 2010s, Timothée Chalamet would fit the bill for the charming, roguish space pirate.

In addition to being one of the greatest actors working today and almost universally beloved, Chalamet has proven chemistry with Ronan, as seen in Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird and Little Women.

7 Donald Glover As Lando

While Alden Ehrenreich wouldn’t necessarily be the top choice to play Han in the original trilogy, Solo: A Star Wars Story did nail the casting of a 2010s Lando with Donald Glover.

Hopefully, the upcoming Lando-focused event series from Dear White People’s Justin Simien will heavily feature Glover’s younger take on the iconic role of Calrissian.

6 Tom Hiddleston As Grand Moff Tarkin

Across the past decade, Tom Hiddleston has played Loki in all kinds of contexts. More recently, the trickster god has become a reformed hero who helped to evacuate Asgard and tried to save his brother from Thanos.

But back in The Avengers, when Loki was a smarmy, theatrical, mustache-twirling villain, Hiddleston proved he could play a great Imperial stooge like Grand Moff Tarkin in the Star Wars universe.

5 Andy Serkis As Yoda

Frank Oz’s puppeteering did wonders for Yoda’s characterization in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, but if the original Star Wars trilogy was developed in the 2010s, the producers would likely have opted to use performance capture when the Lucasfilm story department called for a little green hermit who lives in a swamp.

Just as Frank Oz was the go-to guy for puppeteering in the ‘80s (recommended to Lucas by his original choice for the job, Jim Henson, who was too busy to commit), Andy Serkis was the go-to guy for performance capture throughout the 2010s. Unfortunately, the sequel trilogy squandered the actor’s unparalleled abilities with this technology with the wholly bland and uninspired character of Supreme Leader Snoke.

4 Idris Elba As Boba Fett

Jeremy Bulloch made an icon out of Boba Fett despite his limited screen time in the original trilogy. He played Fett with an irresistible coolness inspired by Clint Eastwood’s portrayal of the Man with No Name in the Dollars trilogy. In the 2010s, Idris Elba could’ve brought the same badass quality to Fett.

In addition to giving nuanced performances in movies like Beasts of No Nation and Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, Elba has ably played action-driven roles in Pacific Rim, Hobbs & Shaw, and the Thor trilogy.

3 Christopher Plummer As Obi-Wan Kenobi

The late Oscar winner Christopher Plummer enjoyed a career comeback throughout the 2010s, replacing Kevin Spacey in Ridley Scott’s All the Money in the World and then playing the late Thrombey patriarch in Knives Out.

In the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Plummer could’ve brought the same pathos to the iconic Jedi’s wisdom that Alec Guinness did in the original trilogy.

2 Gary Oldman As Emperor Palpatine

With his delightfully theatrical performance as the titular vampire in Bram Stoker’s Dracula — as well as his turns as sadistic drug dealer Drexl Spivey in True Romance and corrupt DEA agent Norman Stansfield in Léon — Gary Oldman has proven he’d make a great Emperor Palpatine (although Ian McDiarmid was born to play the part).

Oldman was actually Lucas’ original choice to play General Grievous, but the actor backed out when he found out Revenge of the Sith was a non-union production.

1 Tom Holland As Luke Skywalker

A popular fan casting to play Luke Skywalker in The Mandalorian season 3 or Rangers of the New Republic is Sebastian Stan. He certainly looks a look like Mark Hamill, but he’s said that he’d only take the part if Hamill personally offered to share the role with him. Stan would be a good choice for the Mandalorian-verse, but he’d be a little old to play Luke from his days on the Lars’ moisture farm.

Fellow Marvel star Tom Holland might be a better fit. The way he plays the MCU’s Peter Parker as a bright-eyed, optimistic do-gooder would translate perfectly into Luke Skywalker’s “hero’s journey” arc from the original trilogy.

About The Author

Ben Sherlock
(3461 Articles Published)

Ben Sherlock is a writer, comedian, independent filmmaker, and Burt Reynolds enthusiast. He writes lists for Screen Rant and features and reviews for Game Rant. He’s currently in pre-production on his first feature (and has been for a while, because filmmaking is expensive). You can catch him performing standup at odd pubs around the UK that will give him stage time. Previously, he wrote for Taste of Cinema, Comic Book Resources, and BabbleTop.

More From Ben Sherlock