Woody Harrelson says young Han Solo movie is 'in very capable hands'

Solo: A Star Wars Story type Movie

The young Han Solo movie may have hit a rough patch when directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller were replaced by Ron Howard in the middle of production, but Woody Harrelson is confident that the Millennium Falcon is right on course.

Ahead of the release of War for the Planet of the Apes, Harrelson spoke to Uproxx about the recent director change, saying with a smile: “Oh, you can relax, man — because obviously the Force is with us.”

Harrelson previously starred in Howard’s 1999 comedy EDtv and the as-yet-untitled Han Solo movie marks a reunion between the director and the actor, who’s playing a mysterious mentor to the young smuggler (Hail Caesar! star Alden Ehrenreich).

“Ron is great,” Harrelson said. “He’s awesome. He’s such a gentleman and so prepared.”

“And I loved Chris and Phil,” he added. “But I think we did land in very capable hands.”

Lord and Miller were fired from the project in late June, with just weeks of principal photography remaining. Just a few days later, Lucasfilm announced that Howard had assumed directorial duties on the project, which was written by Star Wars veteran Lawrence Kasdan and his son Jon. (For a full breakdown of the director drama, read Anthony Breznican’s deep-dive here.)

In addition to Ehrenreich and Harrelson, Donald Glover stars as Lando Calrissian, with Emilia Clarke, Thandie Newton, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge also starring in unspecified roles. The film is still slated to hit theaters on May 25, 2018.

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