Is the pen mightier than the lightsaber? It is when it’s wielded by a talented writer like Lawrence Kasdan. A behind the scenes triple threat – screenwriter, director, and producer – Kasdan is a three-time screenplay Oscar nominee and has written scripts for four of the Star Wars films.

He broke into the film business when Warner Bros. bought his script for The Bodyguard in the mid-1970s (though it languished before finally being made in 1992). He caught the attention of George Lucas who hired him to write the screenplay for Raiders of the Lost Ark. Then Lucas brought Kasdan into The Empire Strikes Back to complete the screenplay after the passing of Leigh Brackett, who had written the first draft. Lucas had written a few drafts and revisions, and Kasdan came in to write the final drafts, making it a more serious film with a darker storyline and higher stakes.

Following that movie’s success, Lucas hired Kasdan to write the screenplay for Return of the Jedi. When it came time for the shooting script, Lucas, Kasdan, and director Richard Marquand spent a few weeks discussing ideas, which Kasdan used to finish and polish the script. One area of disagreement came with how to handle Han Solo’s story. Both Kasdan and Harrison Ford believed that Han should die by sacrificing himself to save the others, which would instill the “no one is safe” mentality, but Lucas wanted a more optimistic ending.

With the announcement of 2015’s The Force Awakens, came the news that Kasdan was returning to write the script. He and director J.J. Abrams planned the story together with the goal of returning to the roots of Star Wars with an emotional story rather than lengthy exposition.

Kasdan co-wrote 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story, the second standalone movie in the series. He had actually been writing the movie before he got the job for The Force Awakens. When he needed to take a break to write The Force Awakens, Kasdan brought his son Jonathan in to continue work on Solo. The Kasdan duo were able to create a believable history for Han, including some nice nods to what would happen in his future.

Outside of Star Wars, Kasdan wrote, directed, and produced The Big Chill, Silverado, The Accidental Tourist, Grand Canyon, Wyatt Earp, and Mumford, among others.

After George Lucas, Kasdan is credited with more writing contributions to Star Wars films than any other writer. He has helped to define beloved characters, create emotional dialogue, and make large scale stories feel personal and tangible.

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