A galaxy far, far away might be ready to get a little more laid back if the team behind the upcoming Han Solo stand-alone movie get their wish. According to an exclusive report over at Variety, Woody Harrelson is in talks to play the mentor to everybody’s favorite scruffy looking smuggler and his hairy companion:
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.
Donald Glover and Emilia Clarke also star, with Phil Lord and Chris Miller directing. Disney had no comment.
As with most casting discussions, nothing is certain at this point. But having Harrelson on board changes the stakes of the film a bit. Han Solo’s mentor could easily be some sort of gray-haired, wise type that we’ve seen on screen time and time again. Woody Harrelson is not that despite his track record of mentoring with properties like The Hunger Games. Knowing where he’s gone with other roles and the way that Han Solo was portrayed in the other films, Harrelson could very well be an interesting addition to the Star Wars universe. He could also quickly become one of those characters people can’t get enough of, sprouting other stories like weeds that will one day be sent out to pasture by the next team of creators that want a fresh start for another trilogy.
That’s not to say we’re going to get Tallahassee from Zombieland running around with young Han Solo, Chewie, Lando — though it would be nice. But it is to say that we might get someone else in the Star Wars galaxy that isn’t stiff as a board while delivering those crazy lines. He also won’t be gruff like Michael Rooker turned out to be in Guardians of the Galaxy. It’s a good place to look for inspiration, though.
(Via Variety)
