10 Actors Who Returned To Save Dying Movie Franchises

While it was hard to fathom that one of the greatest franchises of all time could fall so badly, that is where Star Wars found itself after the disastrous George Lucas directed Prequels. While Lucas did a solid job directing the original Star Wars, his shortcomings behind the camera was made up for on that occasion by the brilliance of Harrison Ford as Han Solo.

Often ignoring the dialogue written by Lucas, Ford’s portrayal of the ultimate loveable rogue, alongside a wonderful Carrie Fisher, was a major reason for the film and subsequent sequels success. Ford’s absence was most notable in the prequels with fans bemoaning the lack of a ‘Han Solo’ type to add much needed levity and give us someone to cheer for, while having actors who were too nice to challenge Lucas’ woeful dialogue choices also hurt the prequels.

The return of Han Solo was exactly what The Force Awakens needed, the mere presence of the character in the trailer causing Disney stock to soar. Ford was superb throughout, showing his affinity for the character with charisma brimming from each moment on screen. Ford also displayed genuine hurt and vulnerability in Han's final scene with his son, a fitting finale for our fan fave.

The subsequent sequels unfortunately reverted back to prequel quality, with forced jokes and unloveable characters gracing the screens. For while it was great to see Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher back to reprise their roles, their presence couldn't make up for the missing spark and humour that Ford always provided.