Heard the rumors, but it's now officially official. Woody Harrelson joins the cast for the upcoming young Han Solo film. http://www.starwars.com/news/woody-harrelson-signs-on-for-young-han-solo-film http://ew.com/movies/2017/01/11/star-wars-woody-harrelson-han-solo/ http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/...elson-star-wars-young-han-solo-film/96443412/
He's a great actor. He was the best thing about "Hail Caesar!". But he is a very odd fit for the character of Han Solo. I sort of feel the same about him as I do about Brie Larson as Captain Marvel. Great actress, poorly cast in that role.
JJ Abrams to Replace Colin Trevorrow as Director of 'Star Wars — Episode IX' - N.Y. Times https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/12/movies/j-j-abrams-star-wars-episode-ix-director.html?mcubz=3
It sort of makes sense considering they want a capable and trustworthy pair of hands to handle their expensive IP, but this does mean that TFA more or less becomes the norm of what we can expect from the Disney Star Wars franchise.
Disney, err Lucasfilm's vision is to maximize profits, plain and simple. The fans will still eat it up no matter how bad it is, if it has the name Star Wars on it it will be a commercial success. Just look at the prequels.
Which is why I don't understand that they don't take more risks. As you say, the Star Wars brand is so strong that even the bad movies in the franchise were box office success stories. So why not give a director a bit more freedom?
Because Disney is very regimented, look at how they treat the Marvel movies. I think Rogue One was a bit of a risk for them, one that paid off.
Barely a risk and they still yanked Gareth Edwards around a lot. He was basically on the edge of being replaced himself.
Solo: A Star Wars Story http://www.starwars.com/news/official-name-for-the-untitled-han-solo-film-revealed Hey #Twitterville we just wrapped production so here's a special message #StarWars pic.twitter.com/8QJqN5BGxr— Ron Howard (@RealRonHoward) October 17, 2017 Read more about it here: https://t.co/GZLjelCUfE— IGN (@IGN) October 17, 2017
For those who didn't watch the Super Bowl -- or did and missed it -- here is the "Solo" trailer that was broadcast during the game...
Alden Ehrenreich is uncharismatic as shit in that trailer. My expectations of this are even lower than Episode 8.
His dramatically challenged Rory Calhoun act in "Hail, Caesar!" was by far the best thing about that film. I think it's just a case of him being woefully miscast in that role. I'm trying to think of a young actor who could portray the younger version of Harrison Ford's "sarcasm with a hint of danger" act he used throughout his "Star Wars" career. It's not easy. There are actors who could handle the tongue in cheek aspect of the gig (Chris Pratt, Ryan Gosling) but who lack the bit of darkness that Harrison Ford did and does possess. The best candidate I can come up with is Ben Barnes, but I admit even he is far from ideal.