Around this time last year, it was reported that The Wire star Michael K. Williams was being eyed to join Solo: A Star Wars Story, and Williams ultimately signed on and shot all of his scenes during principal photography. However, the exit of directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller threw a wrench into the works, and after Ron Howard was hired as their replacement, the reshoots were extended. Unfortunately for Williams, he was unable to return for this extra filming due to scheduling conflicts, leading to his character being both recast and altered. Seven months later, Williams has made peace with being cut out of Solo: A Star Wars Story, though he's still acutely aware of how weird the events were that led to him being replaced. Williams said:
There are some things in life, you just gotta laugh at it. That was such an odd turn of events. That's not the norm. As crazy a town as Hollywood is --- I like to be the one that says I've seen a little bit of everything in this town --- that was one for the textbooks. What are the odds of that happening? There comes a point, you just gotta throw your hands up and, you know what, it just wasn't meant to be.
Michael K. Williams was brought on to Solo: A Star Wars Story to play Dryden Vos, one of the crime lords who Han Solo will cross paths with during his standalone story. Williams' Dryden Vos was a motion-capture creation, but after the actor left the movie due to being busy with The Red Sea Resort, Ron Howard cast Paul Bettany in his place, subsequently turning the character into a full human. We have yet to see any footage of Bettany's Dryden Vos, but judging by Williams' above quote, he's now okay with how things turned out, noting that it's just another crazy Hollywood story. However, Williams also mentioned during his appearance on EW Morning Live that he's disappointed that the general public will never be able to see the scenes he performed in alongside his fellow cast members. Williams continued:
I will tell you this much though. What saddens me most is I was very proud of the work that I did. What I believe I have created with Emilia Clarke and Woody Harrelson and Alden [Ehrenreich, who plays Solo]... I thought it was some great work. We was on the spaceship, and we all had these amazing scenes together, and I thought it was a great opportunity, and I thought it was some great stuff. It's unfortunate the world won't get to see it.
While the Star Wars movies usually do contain deleted scenes for the home release, it's hard to say if Disney and Lucasfilm will include Michael K. Williams' cut scenes Solo: A Star Wars Story's Blu-ray and digital release. While it would be good to have insight into how Solo was different during the Lord and Miller days, it's possible the studios might not want to spotlight this portion of the production, preferring that footage stay unseen. If some or all of Williams' Dryden Vos are included, it'd be a good idea to include a disclaimer from Ron Howard on why the character is so drastically different compared to Bettany's version.
Solo: A Star Wars Story will blast its way into theaters on May 25. To keep up with what other movies are coming out this year, head to our 2018 release schedule.
