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

Summary

• The Star Wars original trilogy owes quite a bit of its quality to the actors who brought the galaxy far, far away to life.
• If the original trilogy was made in the 2010s instead of the 1970s, there are ten actors who would be great fits to play Star Wars’ most iconic characters.
• Some of the stars of the 2010s, like Andrew Garfield, Emilia Clarke, and Jamie Foxx, may have been able to replicate Star Wars’ success.

If the Star Wars original trilogy was made in the 2010s instead of the 1970s, the most important characters in the galaxy far, far away would look very different. In the 47 years since the original Star Wars was released, the original trilogy has only gotten better. Even as a slew of Star Wars movies and Star Wars shows have been released, the original trilogy remains special. It’s almost difficult to imagine a world without the original trilogy, or one where it was made in an entirely different decade.

The cast of the Star Wars original trilogy was absolutely instrumental in making the franchise as successful as it is. Some of the best actors of their day joined on to make the original trilogy, and they all brought something unique to their roles. If the original Star Wars was made in the 2010s instead of 1977, they wouldn’t be able to perfectly match the original actors, but there are some great actors to choose from. Ten of the best actors of the 2010s may have even been able to replicate the magic of the original trilogy.

10 Andrew Garfield as Luke Skywalker

Mark Hamill Originally Played Luke Skywalker

The whole point of Luke Skywalker’s story in the original trilogy was that he went from an inexperienced farm boy who wanted to see the galaxy into the hero of the Rebellion and the continuation of the Jedi Order. That means that the actor who would hypothetically replace Mark Hamill in the 2010s would have to be capable of playing both a naive kid who was very far out of his element and a powerful and confident Jedi Knight. Luckily, Andrew Garfield has already proven he’s capable of playing all the sides of Luke Skywalker’s character.

Perhaps the role that best proves how well Garfield would do as Luke is Spider-Man. Garfield played Peter Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man, a duology of movies that made him a very popular actor in the early 2010s. His time playing Peter Parker also proved that Garfield is more than believable as a dorky, naive teenager who has this immense power and responsibility thrust onto him. In many ways, The Amazing Spider-Man was almost an audition to play Luke. Garfield also showed more than enough range to capture Luke’s rage and shame for Darth Vader in The Social Network in 2010.

9 Emilia Clarke as Leia Organa

Carrie Fisher Originally Played Leia Organa

When Carrie Fisher was originally cast to play Leia Organa in the original Star Wars, she went from an almost unheard of actor to a star seemingly overnight. There’s another actor whose career experienced a similar upward spike in the 2010s, and she has proven she can handle the complexities of Leia just as well as Fisher did. Emilia Clarke became a massive star in the 2010s thanks to her role as Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones, a show that perfectly prepared her for Star Wars.

Daenerys was a member of a royal family with a strong, independent side, just like Princess Leia. It was such a similar role that Clarke actually already made her Star Wars debut, in Solo: A Star Wars Story. In that film, she played Qi’ra, a former love interest of Han Solo who became the heir to a massive criminal empire. In essence, Clarke would be perfect as Leia Organa because she can balance the grace and nobility of Leia’s royal side with the strength, smarts, and attitude of her more fiery side. Few actors other than Fisher could handle that balance, and Clarke is one of them.

8 Tom Hardy as Han Solo

Harrison Ford Originally Played Han Solo

Some of Harrison Ford’s best movies came from Star Wars, and Han Solo was one of his most iconic roles. It’s almost difficult to envision the character without Ford’s patented snarky, cool, and confident performance. While it would be difficult for anyone to fill the role of Han Solo, one of the 2010s’ biggest stars, Tom Hardy, could do the job admirably. In the 2010s, Hardy made quite a name for himself in action movies like Inception, The Dark Knight Rises, and Mad Max: Fury Road, among others. Those previous movies gave Hardy experience playing a rebellious gunslinger like Han Solo.

Hardy’s past roles have prepared him for the physical parts of Han’s role in Star Wars, like his piloting and shooting skills, but they also set him up to succeed in replicating Ford’s charm. Hardy has had to play several smooth, suave, and charming characters in his previous roles, like Reggie Kray in Legend or Eames in Inception. Those roles showed that Hardy can handle both Han’s coolest moments – like telling Leia he knew she loved him – but they also showed Hardy can play both good and bad characters, which makes him perfect for Han’s redemption arc.

7 Sir Ian McKellen as Obi-Wan Kenobi

Alec Guinness Originally Played Obi-Wan Kenobi

Before Yoda debuted in The Empire Strikes Back, Obi-Wan Kenobi was the quintessential wise Jedi and mentor. Alec Guinness had a big hand in making Obi-Wan such a respected Jedi, and only one actor from the 2010s would be able to replicate his success: Sir Ian McKellen. He starred in some of the most popular movies of the 2000s and 2010s, like the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the X-Men franchise. Those films helped McKellen cement himself as a master of playing wise, respectable characters, and he would easily be able to bring the same charm he had as Gandalf and Magneto to Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan already shares quite a few attributes that McKellen has brought to life in his previous work. Obi-Wan was wise, kind, and gentle like Gandalf, he was cunning, smart, and sympathetic like Magneto, and he could become a truly devastating fighter if the situation arose like both of them. McKellen has essentially already played Obi-Wan, albeit spread across two characters. It wouldn’t be a stretch of the imagination at all to see him swap out a staff for a lightsaber and a helmet for a Jedi cloak.

6 Keith David as Darth Vader

James Earl Jones Originally Voiced Darth Vader

Darth Vader is one of the most iconic parts of Star Wars and one of the greatest villains in movie history. His dark armor, looming presence, and power over the Force helped make sure of that, but arguably the most important factor was James Earl Jones’ work voicing Vader. Jones’ take on Vader gave the character even more depth, and that gravelly growl turned him from an intimidating presence to a downright terrifying one. If any 2010s actor could bring the same depth of talent to Vader’s voice as Jones did, it would be Keith David.

Keith David is one of the most famous screen actors turned voice actors, and that fame came as a result of his incredibly deep and booming voice. For decades, David has voiced some iconic villains and dark characters, like Spawn, Dr. Facilier in The Princess and the Frog, and more. While their voices are certainly different in many ways, Keith David may be the best alternative to James Earl Jones for Darth Vader’s voice. No one can perfectly replicate Jones, but David would be the best possible replacement.

5 Jamie Foxx as Lando Calrissian

Billy Dee Williams Originally Played Lando Calrissian

Lando Calrissian and Han Solo are intertwined in many ways. They were friends within the context of Star Wars, and they both went from criminals to heroes of the Rebellion, but they were also both known for the same thing: being very cool. Billy Dee Williams brought an undeniable presence to Lando, and the suave way he played the character helped make him a welcome addition to the trilogy in The Empire Strikes Back. Lando’s charisma is a central part of his character, and Jamie Foxx is the perfect actor to replicate Williams’ charm.

Jamie Foxx, especially in the 2010s, was basically the modern equivalent of Billy Dee Williams in Star Wars. Several of his roles, from Django: Unchained to The Kingdom, allowed Foxx to play cool, confident, and extremely effective characters. He has exactly the same skills Billy Dee Williams used to make Lando Calrissian so memorable, and if anyone could pull off a cape as well as Williams did, it would be Jamie Foxx.

4 Jim Rash as C-3PO

Anthony Daniels Originally Played C-3PO

Star Wars has always included comedic elements, and its droids are often used to deliver those punchlines. While C-3PO fills that role for much of the original trilogy, he doesn’t do it in a completely typical way. Many of the droids in Star Wars, like R2-D2, Chopper, and BB-8, are often troublemakers, but Threepio is a bit different. Anthony Daniels brought a unique brand of comedy to Threepio, one that made his character the butt of several jokes. Luckily, Jim Rash is the perfect comedian to give the hypothetical remake of the original trilogy its levity.

Rash is perhaps best known for his role on the sitcom Community, where he played Dean Pelton. Community also serves as a perfect example of why Rash would be tremendous as C-3PO. Rash was wonderful at playing Pelton and making that brand of humor work: he had fantastic timing, he was great at physical comedy, and he made Community‘s jokes at his expense seem lighthearted when they could easily have come across as mean. Because of his time as Dean Pelton, it’s incredibly easy to see Jim Rash as C-3PO.

3 Giancarlo Esposito as Grand Moff Tarkin

Peter Cushing Originally Played Grand Moff Tarkin

As the primary antagonist of the original Star Wars, Grand Moff Tarkin had a very important role to play. He needed to be ruthless, intimidating, and scary, and he needed to accomplish all that while still appearing like a gentlemanly officer. Tarkin didn’t have a suit of black armor to make that job easier like Vader did, but Peter Cushing made it work tremendously well. He was cold, calculating, and fearsome, and one actor from the 2010s is more than capable of bringing the same traits to the role of Tarkin: Giancarlo Esposito.

Ever since he made his debut as Gustavo Fring in Breaking Bad, Esposito has become almost synonymous with the idea of a ruthlessly efficient villain. He brings a cold, calculating, and terrifying demeanor to his roles, which is exactly what Cushing brought to Tarkin. He’s such a good villain that Esposito hasn’t just appeared in Star Wars already, he’s already played a Moff. His work in Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, and as Moff Gideon in The Mandalorian are more than enough proof that Giancarlo Esposito would make a tremendous Grand Moff Tarkin.

2 Andy Serkis as Yoda

Frank Oz Originally Played Yoda

There’s a certain magical quality surrounding Yoda, especially in the original trilogy. Part of that quality is because of Yoda’s role as a wise old mentor and mysterious little creature, but Frank Oz’s voice work and puppeteering also lent quite a bit to his mystique. Oz was able to transform Yoda from a simple puppet into a lovable and endlessly interesting alien in a live-action movie, which is no easy feat. The actor who would replace him would have to be just as skilled at turning imaginative creations into compelling characters. There’s only one person from the 2010s who fits that bill: Andy Serkis.

Andy Serkis has had two separate roles in
Star Wars
movies and shows. He provided the motion capture and voice for Supreme Leader Snoke in both
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
and
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
, and he also portrayed Kino Loy in live-action in
Andor
.

Andy Serkis is one of the most prolific and talented motion capture actors of all time. He’s responsible for bringing some of the most iconic characters in film to life, like Gollum in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit as well as Caesar in the Planet of the Apes reboot trilogy. In both of those cases, Serkis made computer-generated characters into absolute icons, and he would be able to do it again with Yoda. Like Oz, Serkis worked under unique conditions for those films, and he also brought unique voices to his characters that helped them stand out even more.

1 Philip Seymour Hoffman as Emperor Palpatine

Ian McDiarmid Originally Played Palpatine

There are plenty of iconic performances and characters in the original trilogy, but only one was closest to being the absolute perfect casting. Ian McDiarmid’s take on Emperor Palpatine was very nearly flawless. He added complexity, intrigue, and over-the-top villainy to an antagonist who was already designed to be the embodiment of pure evil. McDiarmid’s performance was perfectly tailored to Palpatine, and he made the Emperor the icon of Star Wars that he now is. Only the best could come close to McDiarmid in the same role, and Philip Seymour Hoffman may well have been the best.

Though he would have had huge shoes to fill, Hoffman was the perfect pick to replace McDiarmid. Some of his biggest movies in the late 2000s and 2010s proved that. Hoffman starred in films like The Master, Charlie Wilson’s War, and more that put him in a role where he could be ostentatious, flamboyant, and deliciously evil, just as McDiarmid was as Palpatine. Also, like McDiarmid, Hoffman could quell that over-the-top performance to deliver truly terrifying moments. If a remake of Star Wars did happen in the 2010s, Hoffman would probably be the only actor who could have made Palpatine an icon of the franchise.