Tom Hanks is a bona fide legend, but there are a lot of big franchises he still hasn't been part of. The actor recently confirmed he's never heard from Marvel Studios, though now tells Josh Horowitz's Happy Sad Confused podcast that he did once come close to heading into a Galaxy Far, Far Away.
Hanks confirms he very nearly made a cameo appearance in 2018's Solo: A Star Wars Story, reuniting him with filmmaker Ron Howard (they've worked together on five movies over the years, including Apollo 13).
"I would have done that, yeah. I couldn’t make that work. I couldn’t get there in time. I think if you do a survey, all kinds of famous people have been in a stormtrooper outfit," the actor recalls. "I think [Daniel] Craig was in one. Movie executives have shown up to be a stormtrooper. I’d do it."
"That was one thing about Star Wars, within the first 45 seconds of it, as soon as you saw a stormtrooper, never mind Darth Vader, but as soon as you saw those guys running around in those stormtrooper outfits, you were in the hands of something that had been really well-thought-out."
It's a real shame there wasn't a way to make this happen, especially as the Stormtrooper cameos in the Disney-era Star Wars movies and TV shows have been a lot of fun for fans. However, there are a few that have been left on the cutting room floor, including Tom Hardy's memorable exchange with John Boyega's Finn in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
With any luck, Hanks will get another opportunity to head into this Galaxy as we'd love to see him bring his immense talents to the Star Wars franchise, regardless of whether it's on the big or small screen.
Are you disappointed this Solo: A Star Wars Story cameo didn't become a reality?