The Han Solo movie kicked off its production in England late last month, which means that more news about the spinoff's casting is starting to make its way out. Just this past Wednesday, Fleabag star Phoebe Waller-Bridge was said to be in talks for a "key CGI role." Now news just dropped that Westworld's Thandie Newton could be joining the young smuggler's solo adventure, too.
Variety is reporting that Thandie Newton is currently in talks to join the Han Solo movie, although details about her role weren't disclosed. Assuming a deal is worked out, Newton would join a cast that consists of Alden Ehrenreich as Han Solo, Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian, Woody Harrelson as Han Solo's mentor and Emilia Clarke as a yet-to-be-identified character. Chewbacca will also appear, though it hasn't been revealed yet who will be under the fur.
Last August, it was reported that the young Han Solo movie was looking for an actress of color to play one of the leads, who we speculated could be Sana Starros, a character introduced in Marvel's ongoing Star Wars comic book series. A few months later, Tessa Thompson, Naomi Scott and Zoe Kravitz tested for the movie, but there's been no word on if any of them made the cut. Since Newton is a decade or two older than those three actresses, it's unclear whether she would be playing the same character they auditioned for or someone completely different, but either way, she would be a major score for the production.
Thandie Newton is most recognizable these days from Westworld playing Maeve Millay, one of the eponymous amusement park's "host" androids. She also recurred as Makemba 'Kem' Likasu on ER for six years. On the big screen, her notable credits include Mission: Impossible II, The Pursuit of Happyness, W., 2012 and Crash. For that last movie, she was earned numerous accolades, which included winning a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role and Empire Award for Best Actress.
If you want a taste of what Thandie Newton can bring to this popular sci-fi/fantasy franchise, check out the clip below for a snippet of her performance as Maeve Millay in Westworld.
Taking place years before A New Hope, the Han Solo movie will show what the main character was like when he was more enveloped in his smuggler lifestyle and nowhere close to becoming a Rebel hero. No specific plot details have been released yet, but it has been rumored that we'll see how Han won his beloved ship, the Millennium Falcon, from Lando Calrissian.
The Han Solo movie hits theaters on May 25, 2018. Let us know what you think of Thandie Newton possibly coming aboard in the comments below.
