Did You Know: Kurt Russell Chose A Terrible Western Over Iconic Star Wars Role
Kurt Russell has cemented himself in cinema history, but he nearly landed an iconic Star Wars role that would have cemented his status even further.
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Way back in 2017, Kurt Russell was being interviewed about his role in Guardians of the Galaxy 2. The role was that of Ego, the living planet, that was also the father of Star-Lord. That film went off without a hitch, and Russell became cemented within the MCU. However, during this interview, the actor also revealed that he nearly was made part of cinema history. He had apparently been in the running to portray Han Solo in the first Star Wars film but instead chose to be involved in a terrible 1970s Western show called The Quest.
According to Kurt Russell, “I was actually pretty [close], in the final running, but I needed to give an answer to ABC to do a western show. I asked George, ‘Do you think you’re gonna use me?’ He said, ‘I don’t know if I want to put you with him, or those two guys together.’ I got to go to work, so I did the western. Clearly, made the right choice.” The fact that he was about to be cast in one of the biggest cultural film franchises in the world is a bit disheartening. Clearly, it was the right choice. We were all treated to Harrison Ford becoming the iconic Han Solo, and Russell went off to have his own great career. Kurt also revealed that there is test footage of his audition for Han Solo, and that needs to be unearthed immediately.
However, imagine what the Star Wars universe would have looked like had Kurt Russell become Han Solo. He certainly possesses that same “devil may care” attitude that Ford has, so things might have looked the same. However, with Kurt Russell being so busy with Star Wars, he may not have had a chance to make Escape From New York, Tombstone, and Big Trouble in Little China. Both men are iconic actors, and though we may have seen Russell shoot Greedo first, it’s a good thing that he did not end up in the Star Wars universe. The fact that Russell was so pushy with George Lucas is also quite hilarious. He needed an answer right away and was going to wait for a “maybe.” The Quest is a bit too old, or no one truly cared about it that much, as it doesn’t have a rating on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the IMDB rating holds a 7.2/10. That is not bad all things considered, but nowhere near as successful as Star Wars was. The show follows Morgan and Quentin Beaudine, who were separated as children. Morgan (Russell) spent his time with the Natives, and he is reunited with Quentin, who is now a doctor. They band together to find their long-lost sister.
Kurt Russell abandoned his would-be Star Wars appearance but finally made his way into the MCU, which was welcomed by everyone. Though his time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was short-lived, he has appeared as Ego again in the What If…? series. That could mean that Marvel is not quite done with Russell appearing as Ego. Also, it might be high time that the man finds his way into the Star Wars mythos as well. He could play an alternative version of Han Solo. Not that Star Wars is actively messing with the multiverse like the MCU is, but crazier things have happened. Kurt Russell appearing as a bounty hunter would be on par with the roles he has taken throughout his career. Just give him a blaster like Han Solo and watch him go to work. The Mandalorian would be a perfect place for him to appear in, as that show has been bringing in all kinds of bounty hunters.
