Star Wars script left by Harrison Ford in rented London flat to be auctioned

A Star Wars film series script left by Harrison Ford in a London flat has been put up for sale.

The fourth draft of a screenplay for the first filmed Star Wars movie, originally titled as The Adventures Of Luke Starkiller, will go up for auction next month with an estimate of £8,000-12,000.

It is incomplete and unbound, with differing-coloured pages indicating revisions – and includes scenes and characters that were cut from the final edit.

On page 56, Ford is introduced as the cynical hero Han Solo in the George Lucas script, according to Excalibur Auctions in Kings Langley, Hertfordshire.

Also being sold is a letter in which Ford is asked about why he has not called his wife, Mary Marquardt before they divorced in 1979.

Ford was filming the now titled, 1977’s Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, that was made in Elstree Studios, Hertfordshire, and needed somewhere to stay close by.

According to Excalibur Auctions, the Hollywood actor saw an advertisement in the Sunday Times for a “Flat to Let” in Notting Hill in west London.

Ford, who went on to star in the Indiana Jones and Blade Runner movies, was the first person to come and view the Elgin Crescent property on the top two floors and decided to take it in 1976.

He developed a relationship with the owners, who lived on the bottom floors, and they are now selling the script along with several other items.

The family claim they did not know much about popular culture and were surprised when their cleaner, who had seen Ford as a drag racer in Francis Ford Coppola’s American Graffiti, fainted at his presence.

Excalibur Auctions’ auctioneer Jonathan Torode said people have to understand that Star Wars had not been released yet and no-one had a “clue how big it was going to be”.

Mr Torode said “it was a groundbreaking” film that was a struggle to get made before winning seven Oscars and launching numerous sequels, spin-offs and other material.

Ford was also visited frequently during this time Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker, and Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia.

The flat owners, who do not wish to be named, said Ford was “an excellent tenant, very tidy” and did not know Hamill’s name as he was called “the boy” by the Hollywood actor.

“He was an ideal tenant. It really was a fun time,” they added.

They also recalled that Ford bought new plants for their garden, and attended their son’s first birthday party.

When Ford left, there were other items left including an April 16, 1976-dated typed letter from his long-term agent, Patricia McQueeney, talking about future film prospects and asking why Ms Marquardt has not heard from him – and carries an estimate of £60-80.

Ford would go on to marry E.T. screenwriter Melissa Mathison before they also ended their marriage.

Ally McBeal star Calista Flockhart has been his wife since 2010.

The auction also includes a call sheet, for the Death Star hallway to core shaft scene where Hamill and Fisher feature, and on the back there appears to be a reference to meeting involving Star Wars producer Robert Watts at Browns Hotel, Dover St.

British producer Watts and Ford would also work on 1981’s Raiders Of The Lost Ark, 1983’s Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom and 1989’s Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade.

An estimate of £800-1,200 has been put on the shooting schedules and notes about parties and telephone numbers.

Mr Torode said: “Although other copies of this script have come to market previously, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be able to offer a version with such wonderful provenance and attribution to Harrison Ford.

“The touching backstory to these items adds even more appeal for avid Star Wars fans and we anticipate huge interest from around the globe.”

The script will be sold along with other items on February 17.