Being filled to the brim with exciting characters that have depth, edge, and timeless coolness, the original Star Wars trilogy was a one of a kind— but it will never be left alone. George Lucas himself arguably butchered the movies in the late '90s by adding unnecessary CGI, and then Disney released three sequels that completely ignored important Star Wars lore.
In an era when rebooting movies and pumping life into dead franchises is what fills multiplexes— especially when those movies and franchises are owned by Disney— it’s only a matter of time until the original trilogy gets remade. But on a positive note, there are a variety of actors who are in a realm of their own and can help re-cement A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi into the modern era.
Grand Moff Tarkin — Giancarlo Esposito
Ever since his role as the insidious Gus Fring in his best characters.
Lando Calrissian — Donald Glover
Solo was not only polarizing, it was a mess. The on-set problems between the directors and the actors created a $300 million mess that was completely unsellable, even to Star Wars fans. However, there was one saving grace of the movie that critics and fans could agree on, and that was Glover’s take on Lando.
If there’s anybody the movie’s failure was a disservice to, it was Glover. Because the movie was such a box-office disaster, we may never see the actor in the role again. There are a ton of reasons why Glover should return as Lando, and there’s no other actor who could have done better.
Emperor Palpatine — Anthony Hopkins
The master of it all, puppeteering everything in the shadows, Palpatine is the dark side itself and instils fear into even Darth Vader. Any actor who takes the reigns on the Emperor has to be equally wicked and hammy. Hopkins has already proved he has the chops, as he portrayed one of the most iconic movie villains of all time with Hannibal in Silence of the Lambs. And current portrayer Ian McDiarmid has this slowed down drawl when delivering his lines that Hopkins would be great at.
Obi-Wan Kenobi — Bryan Cranston
After Breaking Bad had reached its end, the idea of casting Bryan Cranston was such an uninspired choice as he was a hot commodity and there were rumors of the actor starring in every single movie in pre-production at the time. Skillfully laying Walter White, arguably his best role, had directors feverishly begging him to play Walter White-light.
However, Cranston’s villainous side has cast a shadow on the scenes where he is completely endearing, empathetic, and wise. With Cranston’s perfectly wrinkled face, his greyish beard, and his perfect audiobook-reading voice, he is the best choice for the older incarnation of Obi-Wan.
Han Solo — Sebastian Stan
Han Solo is arguably the coolest character in cinema history, so finding the current actor who can live up to such a reputation today is no easy task. But Sebastian Stan, known for playing the Winter Soldier strong track record of great films, might not be the most famous actor in the world, but he doesn’t need to be. He exudes cool and he has already had experience in playing a character gone rogue in another billion-dollar franchise. In a parallel universe, he starred as Han in Solo: A Star Wars Story, and it turned out great.
Princess Leia — Rooney Mara
Leia famously said to Luke in A New Hope that she doesn’t need rescuing, and that line could have just as easily been spoken by many of Rooney Mara’s characters. Mara has turned in so many unique performances The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.
Though Mara is currently 35, much older than Carrie Fisher’s age of 19 in A New Hope, the actress still looks well young enough to play the role of Leia.
Luke Skywalker — Robert Pattinson
For the past few years, Pattinson has been Tenet, makes for the perfect modern day Luke Skywalker. Pattinson is 35 now, but he still looks young, and even Hamill was in his late 20s when he first portrayed Luke.
Darth Vader — James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones is still alive and kicking, and until he’s not, that voice is irreplaceable— hence why they didn't bother recasting anybody else as Mufasa in the Lion King remake. Studios could recast Marlon Brando in The Godfather and Morgan Freeman in The Shawshank Redemption before they ever think of recasting Jones. In fact, he returned to Star Wars just four years ago to voice Vader in Rogue One. James Earl Jones was the best voice for Vader in 1977, and he’s the best voice for Vader in 2020.
