Harrison Ford back as Han Solo?

Harrison Ford is keen to appear in the new Star Wars film playing his character of Han Solo.

The 70-year-old is said to be “upbeat” about reuniting with fellow actors who became household names after the success of the first movie in 1977.

Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker, and Carrie Fisher, who was Princess Leia, are also considering signing up, according to Entertainment Weekly.

The latest Star Wars film, the seventh, will be released in 2015 after Disney bought the rights to the franchise through the £2.5 billion (Dh9.1 billion) purchase of Lucasfilm.

Ford’s swashbuckling character was supposed to have been killed off in the Return of the Jedi, but was spared by director George Lucas.

The actor said one of the reasons he survived was because of the success of spin-offs such as a Han Solo doll.