Woody Harrelson finally confirmed that he is joining the world of ‘Star Wars’ after reports of him signing on to the Han Solo spinoff were released. During a Variety interview at the Sundance Film Festival, Harrelson was asked if he would be taking on the role of Han Solo’s mentor in the upcoming film, and the 55-year-old actor responded with: “Yeah, I am.”
Earlier this month, it was reported that the Emmy award winner was the best option to portray the mentor of young Han Solo, who will be played by Alden Ehrenreich in the new movie. During this time, however, discussions about the ‘Star Wars’ Han Solo spinoff were still in the first few stages.
Harrelson is currently at the Sundance Festival to promote his latest movie ‘Wilson.’ Similar to ‘Star Wars’ spinoff ‘Rogue One,’ which recently crossed the $1 billion mark at the global box office, the untitled ‘Han Solo’ spinoff will be set before the events in ‘Star Wars: A New Hope.’ Emilia Clarke, the Mother of Dragons in HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones,’ has also signed on to the movie along with Donald Glover, who is confirmed to play the young Lando Calrissian.
Phil Lord and Chris Miller are on board to direct the 'Star Wars' Han Solo spinoff. One of the movie’s producers, Allison Shearmur, previously worked with Harrelson for ‘The Hunger Games’ films, in which the Texas native also portrayed a mentor to young heroine Katniss Everdeen, played by Jennifer Lawrence.
As the ‘Star Wars’ Han Solo spinoff will put the spotlight on some of the untold events in the fan-favorite young smuggler’s early life, Harrelson will come in as Garris Shrike, who rescues a young orphan and raises him, teaching him how to fly and commit crime. In the original story, Shrike did not have a perfectly happy relationship with Han Solo, with physical abuse from him straining their bond. While they would cross paths in the future, with the young smuggler possibly meaning to kill his mentor, Shrike is killed off by another bounty hunter.
It remains unclear, though, whether the upcoming untitled movie will stick to such story. The “Star Wars” Han Solo spinoff premiere has been on May 25, 2018.
