Warning: Spoilers are discussed in this interview.

With Ron Howard’s Solo: A Star Wars Story now playing in theaters, I recently spoke with screenwriters Jonathan and Lawrence Kasdan about the Star Wars spinoff. They talked about if anything big changed during the writing process, what Chris Miller and Phil Lord contributed to the story, what it was like writing the first scene between Han and Chewbacca, their favorite characters to write for, why Jonathan Kasdan pushed for Bossk, how Darth Maul ended up in the film, and a lot more.

As most of you know, Solo takes place before the first Star Wars movie and follows a young Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) as he befriends his future copilot Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo) and meets the notorious gambler Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover). Solo also stars Emilia ClarkePaul BettanyWoody HarrelsonJoonas SuotamoThandie NewtonPhoebe Waller-Bridge, and Jon Favreau.

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Image via Lucasfilm

Check out what Jonathan and Lawrence Kasdan had to say below.

Collider: You guys have been working on the script for a long time. I’m always curious how things change. Did it come close to being a radically different movie, or have a lot of different scenes?

JONATHAN KASDAN: Never. It evolved in it’s writing, and certainly the third act evolved a little bit in terms of where things were happening, but the bones and the structure of the movie were very consistent from our first draft to what you saw. You know, it really had a shape and a story that we were always pretty committed to. The thing is, that when Chris and Phil, who were writers came on, they brought all this stuff to it and all their ideas and creativity, inventiveness, and hilarious comedy. It got a lot richer for that. When Ron got involved he brought this kind of laser focus on story, and character, and emotion. We worked off of his feelings again. I think, honestly, it’s only got closer to the movie that I and Larry had hoped it would be, for all the input we got.

When Han meets Chewie, this is a moment that Star Wars fans have wondered about and have talked about and debated about for such a long time. Can you talk about writing that scene knowing that it’s this iconic moment between these characters?

LAWRENCE KASDAN: We’ve always seen it as a kind of love story between Han and Chewie- to me is a deeper relationship than exists in the saga. We knew right away that they were going to come together in a conflict- that there would be a fight. Chris and Phil had good ideas about the specifics of that scene.

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Image via Lucasfilm

JONATHAN KASDAN: They did. We always wanted it to be a moment- we knew it was going to take place in the battle zone. Chris himself helped us take it further and make it more explicit. It’s one of the gifts they give this movie- the sense of identifying the great joke and expounding on it, and making it fuller and more complete. That scene, by the second or third draft, was really as it was. They were as much a part of that as we were.

Was it ever a different version? Did you ever think it could be something else when they meet?

JONATHAN KASDAN: It was always going to open with animosity between the two of them. It was always going to open with them physically confined together in the same space. The idea of making Chewie the punishment for soldiers who misbehave- that came out of our work with Chris and Phil. It was ingenious, I think.

The movie has some great character moments. I’m curious for each of you- which character was the easiest to write for, and which character was the hardest to write for and why?

JONATHAN KASDAN: The easiest characters, for me, are L3 and Lando because they are me. It’s funny, you know, the first time there is a character that is sort of the best friend- I think I probably said it to you to then too- for me that’s always the most fun character to write; the guy who gets to have the jokes. Ironically, it’s what Han occupied in A New Hope. It’s what Lando and L3 both sort of occupy in this movie. So, they’re a real pleasure to write. I loved it. I could write Lando chronicles forever.

LAWRENCE KASDAN: I love writing Beckett because he represents the whole worldview that the movie is supposed to embody. He has been around, and he has allusions and what he is keeping either directly or by example Han, is to have this view of the world. It’s not nearly as simple as you think it is; that not anyone is trust worthy; you have to go through life with your guard up.

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Image via Lucasfilm

JONATHAN KASDAN: It was an interesting part of working and writing the script together- my dad, who is really a Jedi of the Star Wars universe, to sit there with him, sort of mirrors the relationship between Han and Beckett in it’s own way. I was trying to figure out how to write these movies and he knew how to do it and he had seen the brutal realities of them. He was schooling me and by the end of it I was less innocent than when I started.

(laughs). One of the things that I am always curious about is the canon of the Star Wars universe now. How much, when you’re writing something like this, are you sort of bouncing to the Lucasfilm Story Group, and did you have to make any changes because they’re like, “Yeah, that doesn’t fit into what we have already figured out for the origin of whoever."

LAWRENCE KASDAN: There was almost nothing like that. John, who is much more responsible than me, was in regular contact with Pablo who is the keeper of this lane.

JONATHAN KASDAN: He is the greatest because the thing about Pablo and working with Lucasfilm is that he’s one of these people who won’t say to you, “No, you can’t do that.” He’ll say to you, “Okay, that’s interesting. If that’s what you want to do we could try doing it this way.” He’ll help you figure out a solution that makes the thing gel as much as possible. It’s really invaluable.

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Image via Lucasfilm

LAWRENCE KASDAN: That would inevitably come up only after we decided on a tactic, a ploy, a plot turn, a twist. I felt that for 5 years I’ve been on this, for 3 straight with Jon, I’ve never felt that we were being told anything that we had to do or shouldn’t do. We had free range to make this story, and that’s what you see in the theaters.

I want to touch on some spoilers. You mention Bossk in the movie. Did you ever came close to doing any other bounty hunters or any other cameos of some of the other Star Wars characters like IG-88 or Boba Fett.

JONATHAN KASDAN: I fought so hard to get Bossk in this movie, that people were literally closing doors on me. I would write Bossk into every draft, every subsequent draft, Bossk would would appear. For reasons creative- not because anyone was resisting Bossk exactly- but because he never quite fit; we couldn’t get him in. I am bound and determined to see Bossk again. IG-88 was someone we talked about using in the droid fights and then we sort of decided to use astromechs and make it a specifically astromech droid fight. I thought the moment that idea was introduced, IG-88 seemed like the obvious- he was a gladiator. I wanted to use all of them and in my mind, and I'm not sure if Pablo reflects this in his encyclopedia, is Clint Howard’s character is the younger brother of the character that we see taking care of the Rancor in Jabba’s palace- so I’m very into that.

(laughs). How did Darth Maul end up in this movie? I heard that maybe this was something that was added with Ron Howard when he came on.

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Image via Lucasfilm

JONATHAN KASDAN: It’s something that I had been suddenly trying to build into the movie for a very long time- years in fact. It was trying to do it in such a way that it would be apparent to go there but it was never explicitly stated. So they would think it was their idea to put Darth Maul in the movie and it was effective. I made it work with Pablo, I made it work with Ron. They were all built in. The references to Teräs Käsi and all of that stuff were all designed to lead to that moment.

Was it difficult to get him in the movie?

JONATHAN KASDAN: First of all, Ray could not have been more game. He was on a plane the second he got the call- he was ready to go and was great. We kept refining that scene and he kept coming back to make it better. What we eventually arrived at, and I think the miracle of it is that he ends up telling you as much about Qi’ra and where she’s headed and the danger she’s walking into as it does about him and his fate.

This movie ends in a way that it could have a sequel or it’s just perfectly attached to Star Wars. My question is, in the back of your brain, are you guys already thinking about ideas of where the next thing can go? What are you thinking about if they decide to do a Lando spinoff?

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Image via Lucasfilm

LAWRENCE KASDAN: It sounds like a brilliant idea. In my mind I want these movies to be stand-alone movies. I also don’t want them wrapped up neatly because I don’t like that kind of movie. So, Empire does not wrap up neatly and the ones I really like don’t wrap up neatly. Force Awakens doesn’t wrap up neatly. I think that’s what’s happening here. I don’t need there to be a sequel. If there were a sequel that would be lovely.

JONATHAN KASDAN: With Alden, it’s a question of if an audience and a generation can embrace Han and Alden as Han, then I think it’s a mighty feat he’s achieved and I would gladly go on that ride for a couple more and we left it open for it.

Completely. I mean it sincerely, congrats on the movie and great talking to you guys.

KASDANS: Thanks, Steve. We’ll talk soon.

For more on Solo: A Star Wars Story:

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