'Han Solo' release date, news: Woody Harrelson officially joins the film as Han Solo's mentor

It's official. Lucasfilm has announced that Woody Harrelson has officially signed on to play Han Solo's (Alden Ehrenreich) mentor in the "Han Solo" spinoff film. The versatile actor has played a wide range of roles in films like "The Hunger Games," "The People vs. Larry Flynt," "Zombieland," "No Country for Old Men" and "Natural Born Killers."

"We couldn't be more excited to work with an artist with as much depth and range as Woody. His ability to find both humor and pathos, often in the same role, is truly unique. He is also very good at ping pong," directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller said in a statement.

The film will also star Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian, and "Game of Thrones" actress Emilia Clarke in an unspecified role. "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi" co-writer Lawrence Kasdan will write the script with his son, Jon. Kathleen Kennedy, Allison Shearmur, and Simon Emanuel will produce the film.

Meanwhile, in an interview with Variety (transcribed by Screen Rant), Glover talked about what an honor it was to portray a character like Lando. "I was kinda shocked ... I think I was kind of precious about it because, yeah, somebody has to do it. I'm super honored to have it," he stated.

He told USA Today he had to get in shape to play the role, so that means goodbye to snacks for now. But he explained it was worth it because Lando meant a great deal to him, especially when he was a kid. "It was literally the first toy I ever got," he said.

The "Han Solo" spinoff film is scheduled to premiere on May 25, 2018, however, it is rumored that the movie may be pushed back to Dec. 13, 2018. Right now, readers should take this with a pinch of salt because Disney and Lucasfilm have not yet announced the change in release date.