Director Jon Favreau has worked with some tremendously talented actors in his career – Robert Downey Jr. in the "Iron Man" films has to rank high on that list – but he's entering a truly elite area of fandom as Harrison Ford saddles up for "Cowboys & Aliens."

"Can you believe it? It's amazing," Favreau enthused when MTV's Josh Horowitz brought up the casting news in a recent interview. "I can't believe it still."

From the wise-cracking Han Solo to the whip-snapping Indiana Jones, Ford has played some indisputable badasses over the course of his acting career. But he's also tapped into his softer side in movies like "Regarding Henry" and even the recently released "Extraordinary Measures." Luckily, in "Cowboys & Aliens," Ford's character will have a lot more in common with his gruffer heroes of yesteryear.

"I'm trying to make him what we love him to be," Favreau said of Ford's character. "Think about him whether it was 'American Graffiti,' Han Solo, 'Indiana Jones,' or 'Blade Runner.' He's sort of that edgy, likeable but not likeable guy. I don't like the cuddly Harrison Ford. I don't like the sensitive, thoughtful Harrison Ford."

So which Harrison Ford does Favreau like?

"I like the Harrison Ford where you don't know if he's going to kick your ass or if he's going to buy a drink and he's clearly getting tired of hearing you talk," the director laughed. "That's the Harrison Ford I like. The one who's heard enough from you. That's the Harrison Ford I like."

I like that Harrison Ford, too.

Tell us what you think of Ford starring in "Cowboys & Aliens" in the comments section and on Twitter!

Harrison Ford's 'Cowboys & Aliens' Character Will Be 'What We Love Him To Be ...

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Look to see a lot of Star Wars parodies show up in your e-mail and Facebook today. after all, according to comedy e-card site JibJab, Tuesday is unofficially "May the 4th Be with You" day.

JibJab cut a deal with Lucasfilm to include clips from the first three Star Wars films (A new Hope, Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi) for its "Starring You" section of the website.

Upload a picture of you (and your friends), and the whole gang can be featured in two-minute recaps of the Star Wars film of your choice. Lucas "gave us unlimited access to all of the footage, and said to cut as funny a two-minute movie as we could," says company co-founder Gregg Spiridellis.

JibJab has featured two classic films in its "Starring You" series before: It's a Wonderful Life, and A Christmas Carol, both of which are in the public domain, and thus, free to use. This is the first time JibJab has reached into its pocketbook to acquire footage.

Spiridellis wouldn't disclose the financial arrangement with Lucasfilm. he says Lucas approached JibJab earlier this year, after seeing the "Elf Yourself," (anyone can be an elf) and "Wonderful Life," videos.

The Star Wars deal is a way to keep JibJab members (who pay $12 yearly) excited to keep sending cards, as most of its traffic is on Christmas, Valentine's Day and birthdays. Cards using footage from Empire Strikes Back are free to all, but New Hope and Jedi are only for members.

The "Starring You" series is wildly popular. Some 270 million Starring you videos have been shared in the last 12 months, says Spiridellis.

Below is an example of the Starring you in Star Wars videos, starring me as Luke Skywalker, interacting with Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and the rest of the gang.

By Jefferson Graham

'Star Wars' comes to JibJab

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Learn To Draw TCW Obi-Wan Kenobi

In an effort to have a legacy, every man has three dreams. We want to be made into an action figure, be immortalized in a comic, or be frozen in carbonite. and the first man to achieve all three will take the mantle from Harrison Ford, who waits in a cave, ancient and tired of protecting the grail.

But there is no competition without contenders and so far, I've identified two people to watch: me and Jake Gyllenhaal.

Jake's the easy choice - the frontrunner. he is pretty and brooding and friends with Lance Armstrong. he takes his shirt off to go in the pool. He's also just been made into an action figure - a LEGO version of Prince Dastan - his character in next month's blockbuster, "Prince of Persia: the Sands of Time."

Yes, LEGO minifigures are now action figures. there are toy soldiers and laser guns and light sabers -- everything that boys need to dance the figures across their living room floor and wage an imaginary battle. and by boys, I mean grown men. and by living room floor, I mean the desk in my office.

But Jake wasn't satisfied with being a minifig action hero -- he had the audacity to take a jab at the old man in an interview with Pop Sugar at WonderCon earlier this month:

It feels to me like they [LEGO] just basically buffed up Indiana Jones and they put a mullet on him. Doesn't it look like that? have you seen the Indiana Jones LEGO, he has like the facial hair?

It's that kind of hubris that will ultimately cost him this competition. I have seen the Indiana Jones, and you sir, are no Junior. in fact, Jake shouldn't be so boastful - the action figure portion of this troika of dreams is the easiest to achieve, the one I'm saving for last, the sports and leisure category in Trivial Pursuit. I could purchase a custom action figure or build a LEGO version of myself within a few minutes. But dreams shouldn't be bought.

My campaign is decidedly more grassroots. An adult fan of LEGO immortalized the year I spent writing my book, "LEGO: A love Story," in a LEGO comic strip - The Brick Side (a far Side-inspired series of comic strips involving LEGO elements and minifigures). I've been a recurring character, returning last week to discover that giving up playing with LEGO bricks isn't as easy as one might expect.

So Jake and I are tied at one, but I have to go, I've got a lead on some carbonite.

Follow Jonathan Bender on Twitter: twitter.com/jonathanbender

Your Move, Jake Gyllenhaal

Given its reputation as family friendly, the original Star Wars trilogy has a surprising amount of incest in it. While we noticed the problem with the Luke-Leia-Han love triangle early on, Mr. Solo didn't catch on until right here.

At least someone figured out a reason behind all of Harrison Ford's sloppy-twitchy face acting....

(Via Occasional Superheroine)

Send an email to Marc Bernardin, the author of this post, at marc@io9.com.

Han Solo Figures Out the Whole Brother-Sister Thing