UPDATE! Woody Harrelson in Early Talks to Play Han Solo’s Mentor in the Second Star Wars Spinoff Movie
Variety reports that Lucasfilm is considering actor Woody Harrelson for an important role in the next Star Wars spinoff movie dedicated to the swashbuckling hero Han Solo. Read on for the details…
From Variety:
Sources tell Variety that, while talks are still in the early stages, Harrelson is the top choice to play Han Solo’s mentor in the upcoming “Star Wars” spinoff starring Alden Ehrenreich.
Kathleen Kennedy and Allison Shearmur are producing the spinoff film, which is expected to begin production in January. The movie is slated to hit theaters on May 25, 2018. Harrelson and Shearmur have close ties from their work on “The Hunger Games,” when Shearmur was overseeing the project for Lionsgate.
The ensemble has already begun filling with rising stars, but executives wanted this role to go to an actor with considerable clout, and started meeting with actors over the past several weeks.
Filming for Han Solo is expected to begin in February in London. Phil Lord and Chris Miller will be directing, and the only cast members officially announced so far are Alden Ehrenreich (Han Solo), Donald Glover (Lando Calrissian) and Emilia Clarke. Also Chewbacca was confirmed to appear in the movie.
Kathleen Kennedy described the Han Solo movie to have a heist or a western type feel. Woody Harrelson will definitely fit with this description.
What do you think? Is Woody a good fit for Star Wars?
UPDATE!
The Hollywood Reporter confirmed the report, and Borys Kit even revealed another contender for the role that was considered before Harrelson:
True that Disney & Lucasfilm wanted someone big for HAN SOLO…before Woody Harrelson, CHRISTIAN BALE was the other big name in the mix.
— Borys Kit (@Borys_Kit) January 3, 2017
Founder of SWNN, MNN and The Cantina forums.
Born on April 24, 1980.
Freaking PERFECT. I like this. A lot.
i have a good feeling about this.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/88f1942d93910f8f9a8732510986e8b880837f7f4f4b745b70bff70ebb3a05e8.gif
Wow. Talk about immeasurable power. Its amazing how Chuck Norris causes a lightning strike with his thumbs up air punch. The shock wave must be huge.
Can’t this meme just die already? Norris seems like such a dipshit.
Will he bring his hat too?
Dear Lord. Please no.
He just played a mentor in The Hunger Games….
In my opinion, he’s too recognizable. Seeing him in a Star Wars film will just pull me out of the film too much, I think.
Unless he’s covered in blue makeup and a cowboy hat.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4d/Cad_Bane_TCW.png
I love this idea!
Yes please
Why would Han Solo’s mentor be an evil son of a bitch and a bounty hunter?
Im getting a Cad Bane vibe.
I would rather have Harrelson then Bale as I feel like this will have a action/comedy tone and Harrelson seems like a better fit for that.
May the hemp be with you.
If they are going for a comedy/western vibe with this movie, color me intrigued.
1. He’s PERFECT.
2. He’s either Cad Bane (he already has the voice) or Dash Rendar (why the fuck not?)
This is one of those casting choices I feel are to “known.” Woody is an amazing talent but it’s very hard to unseen him as anything but Woody. Bale… man he isn’t to good at well known properties. Batman and Terminator come to mind.
Ah well… it could work. Wont know until we see it. So glad R1 came out first just in case Solo tanks.
They got Woody? From Toy Story? Awesome.
I’m 100% on board with this casting. Woody is a funny dude and a fine actor. Never a bad idea to add talent.
I dislike the idea.. he’s to well known.. Star wars should stick to using unknown actors.
alec guiness, peter cushing, harrison ford, billy dee williams, james earl jones, liam neeson, sam jackson, ewan mcgregor, christopher lee, terance stamp, jimmy smits. these are just a few of the people who were at the very least known quantities, if not highly accomplished actors by the time they did star wars.
Yeah, a lot of people seem to prefer unknown actors in Star Wars. I don’t know why, I’ve never heard anyone insist on it for any other franchise. Is it really 4th wall breaking for some people to see a known actor in a movie?
I guess people just like traditions, and I believe that it is a bit easier to be “immersed: in a movie when you can’t easily recognize every single person in the film.
I agree to an extent, but that tradition should lay with the Saga films. I feel these spinoffs need some star power, or at the very least, talent. Adding talent is never a bad idea. If the actor nails the role, he/she should get it IMO. I love the prospect of Woody in Star Wars
I agree.
seems like an odd thing to nit pick about to me
This movie does not need to be made.
technically no movie needs to be made.
I agree with you.. its fanboy stuff that is totally pointless.. People these days want everything in a movie explained and the can’t use there imagination..
its not like disney held a vote of all star wars fans and the majority wanted this film. this didn’t even come from a corporate focus group. this idea came from lucas himself. do you think he lacks imagination?
this idea did no come Lucas himself.. This IS a Disney idea..
Actually, this is one of the films that Lucas planned before he sold Lucasfilm to Disney. It’s a George Lucas idea.
Not a disney idea. Lucas had this idea. Kasdan was originally hired to write this then they got him to help with TFA.
Wrong.
If my vote matters, than I also vote for an Obi Wan Kenobi movie.
Who would have guessed? 😉
“patience, soon you will be with him.” 😉
He pitch the idea of making a Han Solo spin off but he has nothing to do with and he didn’t hire Kasdan because he knows that this guy is a hack. Whoever doubted it knows it after Force Awakens.
k.
No movie “needs” to be made.
Disney shareholders think differently. Guess what they’re also planning Indiana Jones5. Everybody knows it will be garbage, Ford is too old and they’re artistically bankrupt. Neverthless it will make a fortune because nostalgia.
Star wars should stick to using new unknown actors… it feels like well known stars are money hungry and its just another job but new actors have that love and passion.. New actors WANT to be a part of it..
You think well known Actors Don’t WANT to be a part of STAR WARS? Hmmmmm
Like Liam Neeson? Samuel L. Jackson? Christopher Lee? Alec Guinness? Peter Cushing?
Pick the best person for the role. That’s all.
Most important is that these unknown actors should be excellent choices picked after a serious casting process. But the new movies showed that Kathleen Kennedy hand picked all the main actors because they have some connections. That’s why we ended up with Daisy Ridley, Felicity Jones and Alden Enrecht, Adam Driver . None of them would have passed a regular casting
What connections did Daisy Ridley have? She was an absolute unknown who had literally never appeared in a feature film before Episode VII.
She was unknown, that’s not sufficient. Was she good? No, she was terrible, can’t act to save her life, even JJ Abrams slammed her wooden acting, and this guy is himself terrible. I heard her dad has connections to Hollywood.
So all you have is your own (quite unpopular) opinion and mindless conspiracy theories? Nice.
Troll. They need to ban him. Doesn’t further meaningful discussions.
You mean like Carrie Fisher? Mark Hamill was unknown. So was Ford, to audiences.
You haven’t actually seen Hail, Ceaser!, have you? I was dead set against recasting Ford, but after that film, I would say Ehrenreich is the second strongest argument for this film actually pulling off a miracle and succeeding (behind Lord and Miller).
Wow. I didn’t expect you to be the optimistic one, but I’m pleasantly surprised.
Because your initial opinion and assumption that the film would be a total disaster may be wrong, you’ve decided the potential success of the film is a miracle if it occurs?
My, your ego knows no bounds.
What connections, troll?
No problem with him as Cad Bane, but I am totally against an actor this mainstream as a major character in Star Wars not masked/covered with makeup.
Or as a far side character, right? Because a lot of people knew Lac Guiness and peter Cushing back in the day.
Neither Alec Guinness nor Peter Cushing were as mainstream as Wody Harrelson is. Sorry, no cigar for you.
Sorry but this is totally wrong. Alec Guinness played major roles in some of the biggest movies of all time before 1977: Bridge on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia, and Doctor Zhivago just to mention a few. People don’t remember these films as much nowadays, but these were mega-hits. Doing Star Wars – a small film that many expected to be a throwaway scifi B movie – seemed like a major step down for him at the time.
Yep. In fact, when adjusted for inflation, Doctor Zhivago made over $2 billion dollars and is the 8th highest grossing film ever created. And Alec Guiness was in it.
Are you really considering those masterpieces to mainstream popcorn movies and TV shows like Friends With Benefits, Will And Grace and White Men Can’t Jump? Sorry, but you just won’t convince me of that. And don’t forget the classic Woody movie Sufer, Dude.
The issue I was addressing wasn’t the quality of the work: I was simply making the point that like Woody Harrelson, Alec Guinness was well-known by the general public. So whether Bridge on the River Kwai is better than White Men Can’t Jump is irrelevant.
All of a sudden…my interest is piqued. If there’s one role Woody can play (and there’s definitely more than one), it’s a mentor. 😉 He was brilliant as Haymitch. *thumbs-up*
he’ll be the Dread Pirate Roberts to Wesley/Han Solo and it’s PERFECT
Haters gonna hate. People seem to be forgetting that Alec Guiness, and to a lesser extent Peter Cushing, were very recognizable actors in 1977. Add Liam Neeson, and you find that using well-known actors to play mentor figures is a Star Wars tradition.
Plus, there’s the fact that Harrelson can really disappear into a role: he’s just one step above one of those character actors you see everywhere, but forget about because they inhabit their roles so seamlessly.
And you do know that Alec did NOT want to be in Star wars.. in fact he hated it…
sir alec only came to hate star wars after it defined his career. prior to that he saw it as a silly little film that offered a nice pay check.
Which is too bad. It makes him seem less likable to me.
… but he had work to do… and it was so far away…
The difference, to me, is that everyone you mentioned is an artist. They are more than actors. Can you picture Woody Harrelson in a serious play? I can’t. But I can Guinness, Cushing (especially) and Needon.
I am imagine this movie will pale in comparison with Rogue One, but I think Woody Harrelson is pretty good and I expect he will do any role justice. I like Bale too, but I don’t think they should go with someone who will seem more like the star of the movie than the main character. Does Han really need a mentor though? I liked to think he always just winged it.
I kind of agree. My question is: isn’t MAZ his mentor? I know that people can have more than one mentor, but for such a “lone wolf, rebellious rogue” type, he seems to have had a pretty guided upbringing.
Yeah, if maz isn’t in the film it will be a missed opportunity IMO.
Agreed.
Agreed, Huge missed opportunity. Im pretty sure in a few weeks or early on in the shooting next month we hear that Lupita is attached to the film
But was it ever stated that she was his mentor? I thought that was just something from the rumor mill, that Lupita was playing a CGI character that was Han Solo’s mentor. From the movie it just seemed like she was an old pirate that he knew from his old smuggling days.
I believe it was stated in canon material that she was his mentor. You know, the kind of stuff that Pablo Hidalgo would have written, “official guides”, etc.
I thought Maz Kanata was more of an associate. She runs a drinking den where criminal types gather, she would I suppose be more of a broker than anything else. If Han has a smuggler mentor, I wonder if he’ll end up wearing their clothes like Lando ends up wearing Han’s outfit at the end of TESB.
This is an interesting development. I wonder to what extent a mentor to solo would be, good actor choice, I love him in everything I see with him. I knew a bunch about the legacy stuff, but not too much about Han Solo. I wonder if we’ll get any view of Correllia finally on screen because I don’t think we’ve visited that place yet.
Like Harrleson. Under underrated. But this still feels a bit like “lipstick on a pig” to me.
I don’t know what’s wrong with me, this is an idea from George Lucas, with actors I like, with directors whose work i adore working with a beloved character in my favorite franchise of all time….but I’m just not excited at all for this movie.
Here’s a tip… Wait for some actual footage to drop.
– Pomojema
Me too; I think because it kinda feels like we already know all we need to about Han Solo. I don’t want to see him as a nerdy 19 year old complaining that he doesn’t like sand.
We all know how it’s going to turn out. They’re going to ruin the character but still make a lot of money because no matter how horrible it will be, people will watch for nostalgia.
Careful when speaking for everyone else, because you obviously don’t.
Don’t worry,. the trailer will give you a nerdgasm regardless.
Dude! This is amazing news. Woody is a legend and he’s definitely been on the list of Actors I’ve wanted to see in the Star Wars universe.
not as Han Solo’s mentor
Bale or Harrelson? You finally got me, han solo movie!
probably spend as much time in the film as Max Von Sydow
you’re so right, bam
Another hero’s journey?
With Lord & Miller directing, it’s rather gonna be the spoof of it.
Kasdan is a retard who’s gonna use the monomyth digram like a magic formula to write a script just like he did in Force Awakens. So it will be basically Solo refuses his destiny, then some crap happens forcing him to follow the script, I mean destiny.
or maybe an anti-hero journey.
I predict that he will feature at the beginning of the film as Solo’s CO in the Imperial Navy before he goes AWOL with Chewbacca
nobody plays smarmy knave as well as Woody Harrelson so this is bloody perfect and it has my full support
Since when “Solo” needs a mentor? Does Kasdan even know what Solo means? This man is a stupid hack, he didn’t write Indiana Jones and Empire Strikes back but appreciates that people wrongfully credit him for it. This idiot wrote Force Awakens though, and it was laughable because it shows how desperate for money he was.
http://i2.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/325/428/264.jpg
except you
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQCU36pkH7c
Yes. Han Solo’s last name obviously implies he only operates solo.
Except for his co-pilot Wookiee.
And joining forces with the Rebellion.
And flying about the galaxy with Luke and Leia.
And leading a team of Rebel Commando’s on Endor.
And rescuing Rey and Finn and offering Rey the opportunity to work with him on the Falcon.
Oh noes, seems like someones argument is as dumb as he is rude.
Pity.
He ended up being a teamplayer at the end of his arc. This movie is supposed to be about the solo scroundel
He was a team player since his inception. Please see Chewbacca.
He’s teaming with Chewbacca only because the Falcon needs two guys tro be maintained and operated. This until Force Awakens, when Maaaaary Suuuuuue proved that she can fly the Falcon alone better that Solo and Chewie together.
Now your rationalizing with semantics. Piss off troll, we’ve had better here than you before.
Everyone has a mentor at some point.
Except for Mary Sue.
THERE IT IS! I knew you were a Mary Sewer. Nothing more to discuss here,
If you don’t aknowledge that Rey is a Mary Sue, then there is no discussion possible. She is the archetype of hte Mary Sue and will remain the reference for decades. Never in the history of cinema was there a Mary Sue lead in a major motion picture except for Bollywood movies. This stuff used to stay on fanfiction websites for teenage girls, Kathleen Kennedy brought her feminist fantasy to the big screen.
Then there is no discussion possible because you don’t even know what it is. Tell Max Landis I said hi.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/2b74fa1f939d66448920d4586aa0e3c29adc93fbab1eddde4c71a3a0e88ea8a3.png
You can use google, but you still don’t have a clue.
You can bury your head in the sand, Mary Sue is not going away. Everybody already forgot about Hayden Christensen. Mary Sue will remain be emblematic of complete failure of the Disney owned Star Wars.
The only thing buried here is your head up your own rear end.
I like Harrelson, but Bale is the better actor. His character in The Prestige would be perfect for this, a trickster with charm, after all he shouldn’t be a direct copy of Solo as a mentor, Han needs to be his own man.
Just noticed this!
https://twitter.com/pablohidalgo/status/816891808382787584