Warwick Davis's role in Solo: a Star Wars Story is a very cool Easter Egg
Warning: this article contains minor spoilers
Warwick Davis’s cameo in Solo: A Star Wars Story contains a very cool little link back to Star Wars history.
According to the credits, it appears the actor could be reprising a role he played all the way back in 1999.
You see, his character in Solo: A Star Wars Story is called Weazel, which just so happens to be the same name of a character he played in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.
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Weazel, a human character, was friends with Watto in Phantom Menace, and could be seen sitting next to him at the Podrace. He's described as a weapons dealer according to Star Wars Bible Wookipedia.
In Solo meanwhile, Weazel is part of the gang lead by Enfys Nest. Wonder how he got from Tatooine to there?
The name could be coincidence of course, but it's important to remember that these are the only two roles where Davis is actually recognisable on screen. In every other role (he's appeared in six Star Wars movies including Solo: A Star Wars Story) he's wearing prosthetics or a costume that conceals his identity.
Surely the name check is deliberate therefore?
In true Davis style, that’s not the only role he plays in Solo, as co-writer Jon Kasdan revealed at the film’s press conference that he assisted with multiple characters, and even appeared on screen with his daughter: “[Warwick’s] daughter was with us on set. In some of the droid fights, it’s the two of them against each other.”
Solo: A Star Wars Story will hit UK cinemas on Thursday 24th May