'Han Solo' spinoff news: Woody Harrelson talks about being a 'bit of a criminal' mentor to young Han; Cassian Andor rumored for a cameo
Steam is picking up for the next standalone film from the "Star Wars" lore in the yet-to-be-titled Han Solo spinoff film scheduled to hit the cinemas a couple of years from now. Despite that, interest on the property has been mounting over the last couple of weeks with production already geared up to start and interesting casting news rounding up online.
As previously rumored and then subsequently confirmed, Woody Harrelson has officially boarded the anthology film as a mentor to the young Han played by Alden Ehrenreich. Although nothing specific has been given as to who exactly he will be playing, the actor teased a bit on his role's description during a Facebook live Q&A with Mashable.
"I'm a mentor to Han but I'm also a bit of a criminal," the "Cheers" alum sneakily said. "I don't think I should say much more than that because the Force is not allowing me."
In retrospect, it makes a lot of sense that the cocky Han that people first met in "Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope" got his foundation chops from a notorious criminal himself. And while it is still unclear what kind of perp Harrelson's character will be, it is safe to assume that he moves in the same smuggling and conning industry that Han eventually became a part of.
Flipping the coin from an unknown character confirmed for the film to an established character rumored to appear in the film, "Rogue One's" Cassian Andor, played by Diego Luna, is also being speculated to have a run-in with the young smuggler. Speculations started when MTV News caught up with the veteran actor in the Golden Globes and sneakily asked him about the possibility of the rebellion intel officer appearing in the Han Solo prequel — a question which got him immediately flustered.
It is no secret that Luna is a huge fan of the property and would often be too enthusiastic about being part of something big. So when his knee-jerk reaction to the question exuded excitement, some read it as an affirmation to the question. This is despite the fact that he tried his best to dodge the query.
Should this be the case, it is not really a far reach to imagine Cassian bumping to Han during his early days in the wild. The devoted alliance member has been part of the fight against the Empire since he was six years old and given that he travels to dodgy places to gather information makes the rumored narrative possible.
The Han Solo prequel spinoff helmed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller is originally scheduled to hit theaters summer of 2018 but rumors of a December release is also making waves online.