The Star Wars franchise certainly seems to be making some real bold decisions as of late. Rogue One saw the elimination of the text crawl (not to mention the inclusion of time jumps, and a few other narrative quirks) and the inclusion of bigger-than-normal celebrities such as Forest Whitaker, Felicity Jones, and Donnie Yen. Of course, Rogue One was only the beginning, and we were bound to see some other big changes and even bigger names as we worked our way through the ever-growing galaxy far, far away.

About a week ago, we reported a rumor from Variety that the script for the upcoming Han Solo spinoff movie calls for a mentor character — an OG scoundrel, if you will. And the man rumored to take on the role of said OG scoundrel? Woody Harrelson.

READ ALSO: WOODY HARRELSON TO BE THE OG SCOUNDREL IN HAN SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY

Well, turns out Variety was correct, as Lucasfilm has now officially announced that Harrelson will indeed have a role in the upcoming Han Solo flick.

The film’s directors, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, had the following to say regarding the interesting casting choice:

“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.”

There is no confirmation yet on whether or not he will indeed be playing the mentor role, as rumored, but it seems safe to assume that will be the case, given his age and his general “don’t give a f***” attitude. Given Harrelson’s immense talent, there’s little doubt he’ll nail any role given to him — especially if it really does go in the mentor direction. He’s not only great at giving off that smarmy persona, but in making sure that doesn’t result in a flat character, which is an easy thing to do.

Woody Harrelson will be joining a cast that includes Alden Ehrenreich as Han Solo, Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian, and Emilia Clarke in an unknown role. 

What do you think of the news of Harrelson joining the cast. Is it a good decision on behalf of Lucasfilm, or is the man a bit too recognizable? Let us know your thoughts down below!

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SOURCE: Lucasfilm