According to Deadline, Emmy nominated actor Michael Kenneth Williams (The Wire, Boardwalk Empire) has dropped out of the Han Solo anthology film due to scheduling conflicts. Williams had shot the scenes for his character back when Phil Lord and Chris Miller were still helming the movie, “I felt great about what I created with the directors that I worked with,” said Williams. Lord and Miller left the film after about four months of shooting due to creative differences with veteran screenwriter, Lawrence Kasdan.
The film saw a major shift once Ron Howard was brought in, and though I can’t see Williams giving a bad performance, the work he did do won’t match up to the film’s new tone and feel.
“When Ron Howard got hired to finish out the film, there were some reshoot issues that needed to be done in regards to my character, in order for it to match the new direction which the producers wanted Ron to carry the film in.”
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It is unfortunate that the directorial change has forced Williams to drop out as I think he is one of the better lesser known actors in Hollywood. Williams said his character was a half animal, half human, and I believe he would brought something special to the role. Without knowing how large his role was, it is difficult to judge how much of an impact his character would have had on the overall story, however, Williams hopes to someday return to a galaxy far far away.
“I don’t think that me not being in the Star Wars family is final. I left with a very good taste in my mouth about the whole family, and I hope that I left a good taste in their mouth. They’re a great group of people, the Lucas family.”
I for one would welcome Williams’ return to the Star Wars universe, perhaps in a bigger role next time. While the drama surrounding the Han Solo film has been abundant, Disney went through a similar (though not as dire) situation with their first anthology film, Rogue One. The film was sent into extensive reshoots before its release. This worked out well for Disney as the film went on to be a massive success for the studio, taking in over $1 billion worldwide.
The Han Solo anthology film is still scheduled to warp into theaters May 25, 2018.
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SOURCE: Deadline