Everything's coming up Woody Harrelson! Not only will the actor be starring in the highly anticipated blockbuster War for the Planet of the Apes later this year, but it was recently announced that Harrelson will also be appearing in the untitled young Han Solo spin-off. Harrelson is no stranger to blockbusters, having made his mark with the Hunger Games franchise, but Star Wars is its own beast with millions of fans. It can be pretty daunting joining something like that, but Harrelson feels nothing but optimism about traveling to a galaxy far far away.
Collider had the opportunity to talk to Woody Harrelson about perhaps his two biggest movies to date: War for the Planet of the Apes and Young Han Solo. Obviously, Harrelson couldn't get into any specifics about Star Wars now that Disney has trained snipers following him to all his interviews, but he was able to talk about his excitement about joining the project. Getting to hang out with Han and Chewie is pretty cool in its own right, but the icing on the cake is that this movie has the potential to be really good, thanks to directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller.
It's mind-blowing. I can't really...you know, I never would've imagined that I'd get this opportunity so I'm really pumped about it. I really like those directors [Phil Lord and Chris Miller], I think they're really great. You know let's face it, almost any movie if the director's great then the movie has a shot, but if they're not obviously you've got very little chance of a good movie. I just feel great to be a part of that. What a cool thing.
Woody Harrelson definitely has a reason to feel confident about Young Han Solo's chances. Phil Lord and Chris Miller are two of the best writer/directors to hit the scene in the last few years, making diamonds out of what would have been coal in lesser hands. They've developed a reputation for making great and hilarious films based on terrible ideas like rebooting an old TV drama or making a movie entirely about LEGO's. Now the pair have got their hands on a Star Wars spin-off, and I think we can all share Harrelson's excitement for what the duo can do with it.
Much of the Young Han Solo film is still being kept under lock and key, but we do know some of the cast and their roles. Woody Harrelson will be playing a mentor figure to the young Han, who will be played by Alden Ehrenreich. Donald Glover, coming in hot off his big wins at the Golden Globes, will step into the shoes of Lando Calrissian, the smoothest man in the galaxy. Finally, Emilia Clarke is rounding out the cast in an undisclosed role as the female lead.
We can see Woody Harrelson turn Han Solo into a scruffy looking nerf herder when the Young Han Solo film hits theaters on May 25, 2018.
