If someone put you in charge of re-casting a remake of the original Star Wars movies (IV to VI) using today’s actors, who would you cast in the various roles?
I think that Luke is easy to cast, Leia less easy, and Han Solo very difficult.
I can’t think of any modern actor who has all the qualities that Harrison Ford had that made Han Solo such a fun character.
Any suggestions?
I would use unknowns for sure, but that won’t help here. 
Chris Pine would be an OK Han Solo, better than he is as James Kirk.
Han Solo doesn’t seem hard to recast to me, but maybe that’s because we’ve seen alternates for Harrison Ford characters in other movies, such as Alec Baldwin, Ben Affleck and soon-to-be Chris Pine playing the role of Jack Ryan.
Honestly, the only four characters in the movies I’d hate to see recast are Alec Guinness, Peter Cushing, James Earl Jones and Ian McDiarmid. Everyone else seems entirely replaceable to me. Some replacements could easily be improvements.
For Luke Skywalker, I’ve long thought Matt Damon would be a good substitute, especially for the Luke we see in ROTJ. However, he’s getting a little old to be the whiny teenager from ANH.
I would contact actors’ agents, and have them come in and do test readings, while also watching to see if they matched the right physical appearance for the part.
Oh, wait, did you mean to ask whom I would cast? I don’t know; I haven’t done that first part yet.
Nathan Filion would make a good Han Solo
Justin Bieber as Luke
Miley Cyrus as Princess Leia
Gary Busey as Darth Vader
I will run along now. C’ya
D&R
That would almost be too much of a meta casting though wouldn’t it? Malcolm Reynolds was effectively Han Solo in another verse.
Let’s see… Johnny Depp as Han Solo, then, say, Orlando Bloom as Luke, and we could cast for Leia… I don’t know, Keira Knightley?
Perfect. I don’t know how I came up with that, but that bunch could totally work.
I’d resign.
My best suggestion for Han Solo was once Matthew McConaughey. He may be a little too old now, so someone else currently in their mid-30s is required. Bradley Cooper maybe?
Mila Kunis as Leia, and for Luke someone wholesome from Glee, perhaps the weirdly named Chord Overstreet.
Jake Gyllenhall?
I’d start off with the cast of The Big Bang Theory and see where they could fit in. Sheldon as C-3PO?
Daniel Radcliffe as Luke, Emma Watson as Leia, Rupert Grint as Han?
Megan Fox as Leia.
Only because I want to see her in the slave-girl costume.
I think Blake Lively would make a good Leia, actually.
Tom Hiddlestone would make a great Tarkin.
I know he’s a bit unloved, but Ryan Reynolds could maybe do Han justice in the “cocky loveable asshole” department. Chris Evans? RDJ!
I’m still good with Ewan McGregor as Obi Wan, actually.
Luke is hard. There are many excellent young actresses (Saoirse Ronan & Chloë Moretz come to mind immediately I would have said Alexis Bledel but Hell! She’s 32? I feel old!) but it’s hard to think of good YA actors - Maybe Asa Butterfield or Kodi Smith-McPhee (both of whom I only recall because I liked their work with Moretz :))
Speaking of Chloe Moretz: what about Aaron Johnson as Luke? He’s only 23 and reasonably versatile.
Sword experience is important:
Obi Wan - Christopher Lambert
Han Solo - Adrian Paul
Luke - Daniel Radcliff
The Princess - Evanna Lynch
I can imagine Princesse Leia in Lynch’s dreamy style say, “I think a planet has just been destroyed… and ten billion people just died…”
Too young; Tarkin’s a greying senior-officer type, with decades in uniform showing through when casually pulling rank or playing the experienced interrogator who muses out loud about whether his men should kill rather a lot of innocents. I’d say it’s the wheelhouse of a politely amused Christoph Waltz.
Makeup. He gets the arrogance down pat already.
Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher as Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru.