Star Wars Bits: Robert Englund, Neil Patrick Harris, Toys R Us, Disney Infinity & More
Lord Vader, we only use this facility forStar Wars Bits. You put him in there, it might kill him! Here’s what you’ll find in this edition of news from a galaxy far, far away:
The above video pays tribute to all theRebel Alliance pilotswho died in the original Star Wars trilogy.
Here’s a fun bit of trivia for you: Freddy Krueger could have been Han Solo and he’s partially responsible for gettingMark Hamillthe job as Luke Skywalker. In a recent interview,Nightmare on Elm StreetstarRobert EnglundtoldTHRabout auditioning for Han Solo:
I was at the old Warner lot on Santa Monica Boulevard, across from Formosa. I was up for the surfer, the Sam Bottoms role inApocalypse Now. I’d been begging my agent to go up for the cook, the Frederic Forrest part of the cook. They said, “You’re too old for the surfer.” They said, “Go across the hall.” So I went from a Coppola Zoetrope audition, across the hall to a George Lucas audition, literally 3 feet away. I went in and they looked at me and they took some Polaroids and shot a little film of me for Han. Almost immediately they told me I was too young. Somehow I had some sides for Luke, I may have picked them up in the outside waiting area.
And then he explained how he helped Hamill get his most iconic role:
On my couch when I got home was Mark Hamill. He was always at my house, practically a third roommate. I came in and I said, “God, I almost got to meet George Lucas.” And I had the sides with me, the Luke Skywalker sides. I said, “I think you’re right for this, Mark.” Mark had a better agent than I did. And I said, “See if you can get in.” I think Mark got right on the phone and got an interview forStar Wars. I heard Tom Selleck turned down Han Solo. They wanted Han to be much older than Luke, like an uncle. He was originally conceived of as an uncle who comes home for the holiday that’s a little nasty and a little dirty and drinks a little bit and smokes, but someone that’s cool and heroic that you look up to.
In a profile onDaisy RidleyinInterview Magazine, it was revealed that Star Wars leading ladyCarrie Fishergave some very genuine advice toThe Force Awakensstar. The actress told Ridley, “You should fight for your outfit. Don’t be a slave like I was. You keep fighting against that slave outfit.” Sounds like the slave Leia wardrobe fromReturn of the Jediis one of Fisher’s biggest regrets.
A post shared by Neil Patrick Harris (@nph)
Neil Patrick Harrisand his family got in the Halloween spirit,Star Warsstyle.
According toDeadline, Disney is giving their own network ABC some prime late night coverage by havingJimmy Kimmel Livebe the place to catch a specialStar Warsepisode of the show on November 23rd. DirectorJ.J. Abrams, Daisy Ridley, Adam DriverandJohn Boyegawill be in attendance, though no word on whether any of our original stars will be making an appearance.
Gwendoline Christietalked briefly toEntertainment Weeklyabout Captain Phasma inStar Wars: The Force Awakens. The actress talked briefly about why people are drawn to the character despite knowing next to nothing about her:
I think she’s talking about the fact that fans are already drawn to the character despite the fact that she wasn’t made to look like some kind of overtly sexy character. That’s true, except for those who really like chrome.
Here’sHarrison Ford, dressed as a hot dog, onJimmy Kimmel Live, talking aboutThe Force Awakens.
Over atDisneyland Tokyo, theirStar Toursride will feature a Jakku version of the ride inspired byThe Force Awakens. For a limited time, that will be the only destination used on Star Tours, but after awhile it will become randomized. It is expected the same thing will happen with Disneyland and Disney World in the United States, but we don’t know for sure just yet. [MakingStarWars.net]
On a recent episode of Hollywood Babble-On, directorKevin Smithkinda revealed that he’s seen part ofStar Wars: The Force Awakens.Epic Streamhas this quote from the filmmaker:
“I saw a buddy of mine, a fellow filmmaker friend, who is making this movie that is so f*ing wonderful. And I saw a chunk of it. And it was… spellbinding. This is the only way I can describe it. It’s like, I love movies and sometimes I over praise them and st, but this is the only way I can describe this: it was like – not figuratively, literally – being transported to the fountain of youth. And having the fountain of youth take me back to 1977. First time I saw a picture called Star Wars. I can’t say much more.”
Sounds like fans are going to be satisfied in December.
Here’s some of the products coming toSeason of the Forcein November. [MakingStarWars.net]
Disney Infinity’sJohn Vignocchirecently talked toGiantBombabout the fact that he read the script forStar Wars: The Force Awakensabout a year ago, forced to keep all the secrets to himself this whole time. He doesn’t think fans are going to be disappointed at all, saying that while he read the script, “I shouted ‘hell yeah’ three or four times.”
In addition, he confirms that many of the stars ofThe Force Awakensare reprising their role for the new sets that are on the way for Disney Infinity 3.0. [MakingStarWars.net]
Here’s something that might be a little disturbing for Star Wars fans:
If Rotten Tomatoes scored both Star Wars trilogies using ONLY reviews from original releases, it’d look like this:pic.twitter.com/C7UER0r4LY
— Mike Klimo (@MikeKlimo)June 21, 2025
Feel free to discuss and argue in the comments, though I imagine we’re probably all on the same page.
Star Warsveteran actorPeter Mayhew, who plays Chewbacca, talked about being on the set ofThe Force AwakenswithHarrison Fordagain. Mayhew toldBmag(viaStarWarsNewsNet):
Find out what else Mayhew had to say about Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and moreover here.
That’s all for this edition of Star Wars Bits. Stay tuned for more soon.
