George Lucas and Dave Filoni almost included a young Han Solo in The Clone Wars – and Darth Maul actor Sam Witwer auditioned to play him.
While The Clone Wars features plenty of familiar Star Wars faces, Han Solo is not one of them, even though, at this point on the Star Wars timeline, he would be somewhere between 10 and 12 years old.
"There was a moment on Clone Wars where George Lucas was thinking about bringing on a young Han Solo," Witwer revealed at Dragon Con 2025 (H/T The Popverse). "I know that Dave [Filoni] auditioned a whole bunch of actors, and I was one of the actors they auditioned. I know that George knows that [imitates grumpy Harrison Ford voice] when I want to, I can do a serviceable Harrison Ford, or I can do an old grumpy Harrison."
But, Witwer didn't quite do a Han Solo impression for his audition. "What I did was Bob Falfa from American Graffiti," Witwer explained, referring to Lucas's 1973 movie starring Ford, then demonstrating some of the lines.
"I did that, and I don't know if Dave got what I was doing, but if you're doing young Han Solo, he surely isn't Han Solo yet," Witwer explained. "He's trying to be Han Solo."
But, in the end, Han never did make it to The Clone Wars – or Star Wars Rebels, even though both Leia Organa and Luke Skywalker (in a very brief cameo appearance) show up.
Witwer will soon return as Darth Maul in his own spin-off show, Maul: Shadow Lord. The series was announced at Star Wars Celebration 2025 and it will be set after The Clone Wars. While the trailer hasn't been released to the public yet, GamesRadar+ got to watch it behind closed doors, and it features Maul trying to recruit a Twi'lek as his apprentice.
That show is arriving in 2026. Also coming next year is the first Star Wars movie since 2019's The Rise of Skywalker, The Mandalorian & Grogu, which arrives on May 22.
While you wait, check out our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and shows for everything else the galaxy far, far away has in store, or see our guide on how to watch The Clone Wars in order for a marathon.
