Lucasfilm has confirmed that Woody Harrelson has joined the Star Wars Han Solo standalone movie.
Harrelson, who can be seen in this summer’s War for the Planet of the Apes, was in talks to join the Han Solo film earlier this month. He was reportedly the top choice to play the mentor to a younger Han (Alden Ehrenreich). But, Harrelson’s role hasn’t been specified beyond this brief description. Directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller cast Harrelson because of his ability to nail both comedy and drama.
“We couldn’t be more excited to work with an artist with as much depth and range as Woody,” said Lord and Miller. “His ability to find both humor and pathos, often in the same role, is truly unique.”
Harrelson joins a cast that includes Emilia Clarke and Donald Glover, who’ll be portraying a younger Lando Calrissian, a role he’s “very honored” to play. The movie is scheduled to start production this month for a May 2018 release — though it’s rumored it could move to December 2018.
