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Harrison Ford reportedly returning as Han Solo in ‘Star Wars: Episode VII’

Solo is back and J.J. Abrams has got him... or at least that's the story that's circulating this morning.

Umberto Gonzalez (aka "El Mayimbe") of Latino Review reported during an interview with Fox News Latino that Harrison Ford has signed on to play Han Solo in Abrams' upcoming project, "Star Wars: Episode VII."

While no word has surfaced on the film's story or what part Han will play in the film, Gonzalez described the deal with Ford as "significant" and said according to his sources, "(Ford's) deal is done. It's just a formality. They haven't really announced it yet."

While Ford is apparently on board for "Star Wars: Episode VII" and the deal is said to be big enough that he'll be doing more than just a cameo or a guest shot, in some respects this announcement raises as many questions as it answers. Ford is 70 years old, and while "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" showed he's in fine shape for his age, it's hard to believe that Han Solo will be the same hyperspace-jumping smuggler and lovable rogue he was in the first "Star Wars" trilogy. Will the film deal with an older Han Solo mentoring another interstellar adventurer, perhaps his son? Could this be part of the rumored script in which Han and Princess Leia's children are major players in the story? How many other cast members from the initial trilogy will be joining Ford in the cast? And if Han Solo is there, can Chewbacca be far behind?

With speculating on the future of "Star Wars" becoming a cottage industry, at very least the announcement that Harrison Ford will be part of "Episode VII" suggests the new series will show respect for the original trilogy that started it all more than 35 years ago. Hopefully Han will avoid getting frozen in carbonite again this time out.

Watch the Blu-ray trailer for 'Star Wars: The Complete Saga':