Michael K. Williams was unfortunately removed from Solo: A Star Wars Story but would still like to join Star Wars. One of the biggest stories over the last year in the movie industry was the firing of Phil Lord and Chris Miller as the directors of Solo. Lucasfilm's decision came with only weeks left of filming, but the problems Solo experienced had been happening for much longer. This meant Ron Howard had to reshoot most of the movie, and it even resulted in some recasting.
Lord and Miller cast Michael K. Williams as one of the film's villains, but the new filming schedule for reshoots didn't work with his schedule. Williams was forced to leave Solo, and he was then replaced by Paul Bettany. However, Williams has no hard feelings over how his role was handled, and actually still hopes to get involved with the galaxy far, far away.
Related: Michael K. Williams 'Proud' Of Cut Solo Role
Variety spoke to Michael K. Williams at the Toronto International Film Festival and asked him about his experience. He has no ill will towards the franchise or the movie over how things transpired, as he said, "Even though I didn’t make the final cut, they’re still my cast mates. I love you guys." But, he hasn't even seen the final cut that hit theaters, and isn't focused on it now - because he wants a new role. He said, "I’m quite sure I’ll get around to it but I’m more interested in getting another shot in being in that galaxy. I would love another opportunity to be in Star Wars."
This wasn't an instance where Williams' performance was bad and forced them to recast or that his character's role was so small he was just left on the cutting room floor. With that in mind, Lucasfilm may look to find a way to get him involved if they can. Even though the studio reportedly has put spinoffs like Solo on hold, there are plenty of other films that could use Williams' talents. Rian Johnson is still developing a trilogy all his own that will need leads, villains, and supporting characters alike, so perhaps Williams will be looked at for one of those films. There's also the series of movies being developed by Game of Thrones creators Benioff and Weiss that could also employ Williams.
However, thanks to the expanding universe of Star Wars content, there is also the opportunity for Williams to return to his TV roots. Jon Favreau is developing the first live-action Star Wars series. Casting has yet to begin on the show, but it would be great to see him star as one of the Mandalorians - who are reportedly the focus of the show. Neither Star Wars nor Williams are going anywhere anytime soon, so, hopefully, they'll find the perfect project to team-up on in the future.
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Source: Variety
