Now that the Star Wars universe is officially back in full force, Disney is having little trouble attracting top tier talent to their upcoming projects. Whether that comes in the form of Benicio Del Toro joining Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi or seeing Forest Whitaker in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, there is shortage of talent eager to join the galaxy far, far away. This has also been the case throughout the entire casting process on the young Han Solo movie.
Alden Ehrenreich is taking over as the smuggler, who was made an iconic character thanks to Harrison Ford, for this prequel adventure to A New Hope. Lucasfilm has surrounded their rising leading man with a number of noteworthy co-stars, and with production underway it was assumed that casting was finished. However, they are now looking to add one more impressive get.
Variety is reporting that Michael K. Williams is in final talks to join the Han Solo movie, with all signs pointing to a deal being completed. Williams is most known for his role as Omar Little in The Wire, but has also been involved in a number of blockbusters in the past. Character details for Williams' role have not yet been revealed.
With so little about the plot being known at this time, it is difficult to pinpoint how Williams will fit into the film exactly. There has so far been no word on the villain, so Williams could potentially fill that role. However, as Thandie Newton has also been hypothesized as a potential antagonist, it is possible the two could work together if that is his role. Then again, he could be a fellow smuggler, a bounty hunter, or any number of different characters.
As shown in the official cast photo, Han Solo is not short on talent in front of or behind the camera. It could possibly be argued that it is the most talented group assembled with a great mixture of new faces and established veterans of the industry. Williams certainly fits into the latter category, so it should be interesting to see just how big of a role he has. Ehrenreich will be front and center throughout (as will Chewbacca), but the level of involvement from everyone else is unknown. With the movie seemingly confirmed to stick with its May 2018 date, the movie is already just about a year away from hitting theaters.
Once production wraps, fans should start to get official word on who all these actors are playing and how they will fit into the larger story. Until that point, Star Wars fans will have to let speculation tide them over until these details and the subsequent marketing materials begin to arrive.
Source: Variety
