'Star Wars' Han Solo spinoff movie release date, latest news: Woody Harrelson in talks to play Han Solo's mentor

Hollywood actor Woody Harrelson is reportedly in early talks to participate in the upcoming "Star Wars" spinoff film about Han Solo.

According to Variety, even if discussions are still in their early stages, Harrelson is the number one choice to portray Han Solo's mentor in the upcoming "Star Wars" spinoff top-billed by Alden Ehrenreich.

Should Harrelson's casting in the upcoming "Han Solo" spinoff film push through, he will also be joining other confirmed cast members such as Donald Glover and Emilia Clarke.

Harrelson is an established and respected Hollywood actor who is widely and more recently known for portraying a mentor to Jennifer Lawrence's Katniss Everdeen in "The Hunger Games" film franchise.

In 2016, he also appeared in the cop drama "Triple Nine," "Now You See me 2," "LBJ," and "The Edge of Seventeen." This year, he is set to appear in movies such as "The Glass Castle" and the much-awaited "War of the Planet of the Apes."

Directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the Han Solo movie will be set before the events of "Star Wars: A New Hope," similar to the recently-released "Star Wars" standalone project "Rogue One," which was launched to critical and commercial success on Dec. 16 last year.

With Kathleen Kennedy and Allison Shearmur as its producers, the Han Solo standalone film is scheduled to commence production this January, and it is currently set to hit theaters on May 25, 2018.

However, there have been speculations that Disney may be bumping its release date to Dec. 13, 2018, considering the box office successes of "Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens" and "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," both of which were given a holiday release. "The Force Awakens" earned more than $2 billion worldwide, while "Rogue One" has raked in $800 million and is still available in theaters.

Although the specific release date is still uncertain, the Han Solo spinoff movie is still expected to come out sometime in 2018.