While some are still expecting some sort of delay for the next Star Wars film, Solo: A Star Wars Story, the official release date is still set for May 25, 2018. Apart from Disney and Lucasfilm’s history of delaying the Star Wars films, the reason most expect delays stem from Ron Howard joining the film to replace Phil Lord and Chris Miller, with assumptions leaning towards the award-winning director needing some extra time to make the film work.
We still have not seen any footage from the film outside of Howard’s teases on social media. Given the release date for Solo, a trailer would typically be expected at some point soon. But a new interview with Paul Bettany in Total Film (via Games Radar) adds fuel to the idea that we might end up seeing a delay for Solo before too long:
“His staging ability is so f*cking brilliant,” says Bettany of Howard. “I think he went in and he was like a laser, working out what needed to be done when he looked at the footage. And then, as things moved on, everybody felt so secure with him. And they gave him more. He reshot a lot more than was originally intended.”
The good news here is that could mean that Howard is such a professional, he managed to work on schedule and add more to the mix as the film went along. It could also mean that there is so much, the film is going to need some extra care in the editing room before the film is ready for release.
No matter what it eventually means, Bettany captures the excitement for the film while revealing a bit about his role in Total Film:
“It’s Han Solo’s story, and of course his story would be a caper,” says Bettany in the latest issue of the magazine, on sale now. “On one level it’s a gangster movie. That’s really interesting, because it’s within the canon but really different. It’s f*cking Han Solo!”
In sharing his excitement for his new role, he also let slip a little bit about who his character is.
“Suddenly, I’m an intergalactic gangster and I’m walking down some stairs and an R2 unit goes by with some champagne, and I’m like… [drops jaw] I had that feeling that I hadn’t had since I was first on a film set – I was a little boy doing the best job in the world.”
It’s not as good as Daisy Ridley’s story about landing her role in The Force Awakens, but it is interesting to see how actors of all ages get excited about being connected to Star Wars. It just means Harrison Ford has to work overtime to show his lack of enthusiasm for anything connected to his place in pop culture.
(Via Games Radar / SyFy Wire)