It was all the way back in the first half of June when Harrison Ford had a bit of an accident on-board the Millennium Falcon while shooting Star Wars: Episode VII. Thanks to a malfunctioning hydraulic door, the legendary actor broke his foot, and reports said that he would possibly be off his feet for as many as eight weeks. This was very obviously bad news for the cast and crew of the upcoming sci-fi epic - but the good news is that Ford is now on the mend.
The folks at the New York Daily News have gotten their hands on a photograph of Harrison Ford in Santa Monica, California walking without either a cast on his leg nor crutches under his arms. While there was a bandage around his ankle, the actor was seen getting into the pilot seat of his personal helicopter and apparently wasn't walking with a limp or any other indication of recent injury. Not too shabby for a 72-year-old guy. That said, I'm fairly certain that Disney and Lucasfilm spared no expense getting the guy back into fighting shape. Han Solo is kind of an important character, you know?
What makes this news interesting is the added information we know about Star Wars: Episode VII's shooting schedule moving forward. Ever since Harrison Ford's injury, J.J. Abrams has been forced to shoot around Han Solo's part in the film, and earlier this month it was revealed that the production is planning a two week hiatus in August to allow Ford more time to recover. If Ford is already up and walking around, is it possible that time table could change? Presumably Disney and Lucasfilm don't want to take any risks with it, but if they can ease him back into the production that would certainly put less stress on the firm announced December 18, 2015 release date.
If recently reported rumors are to be believed, Ford will play a very big role in Star Wars: Episode VII. (potential spoiler warning!). It has been said that the movie will begin with the characters played by John Boyega and Daisy Ridley finding Luke Skywalker's severed hand, and working with Han Solo to try and track the Jedi hero down. In addition to Ford, other original trilogy cast members set to return include Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker, with other newcomers including Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Lupita Nyong'o, Gwendoline Christie and Max von Sydow. Having completed work in Abu Dhabi, the production is now set up in the stages of Pinewood Studios in England, where it will stay for the next few months.
