Looks Like two Surprising Characters Will Appear in Han Solo Film
As he’s been doing since he took the reigns of Han Solo, Ron Howard tweeted out another photo that functions as a tease for what may be in store for fans—a nod two the inclusion of two largely comedic characters that only major Star Wars nerds (and “Star Wars Tales” comics readers) will likely get. Let’s have a look at Howard’s tweet, first:
#tagandbink ? pic.twitter.com/1EzUbS3MQs
— Ron Howard (@RealRonHoward) October 14, 2017
That caption, #tagandbink, refers to the characters Tag and Bink, created by writer Kevin Rubio back in the early aughts. Tag and Bink are a pair of bumbling rebels whose adventures cross in and out of the major events in the larger Star Wars canon, and do in often absurd, hilarious ways. Tag and Bink’s stories were, of course, non-canon, but once Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy began this whole new Star Wars world, continuing the Skywalker saga on the one hand, while offering up stand-alone films like Rogue One and Han Solo on the other, she paved the way for filmmakers to go deep into Expanded Universe hunting for stories and characters. This is how you get to Tag and Bink.
Screenwriter Jon Kasdan, who co-wrote Han Solo with his dad Lawrence, confirmed with Kevin Rubio himself that yes, the characters he created were, in fact, going to have a moment in the film.
#HOLYCRAP Ron Howard just made my comic #OfficialCanon #Thanks Ron! pic.twitter.com/7a3Xe8nOyO
— Kevin Rubio (@TheKevinRubio) October 14, 2017
Thank You, Kevin. I’m a huge fan and I had to get ’em in there, and then had to play it myself (with Toby Hefferman) to do it justice
— Jon Kasdan (@JonKasdan) October 14, 2017
While Tag and Bink’s roles in the film are likely very small, it shows you just how deep and obscure the source material can be. There is a lot of wild, non-canon Star Wars stories out there, and if Tag and Bink can make an appearance in a major new film, who knows just how weird things can get going forward.
Han Solo is slated for a May 25, 2018 release.