Star Wars Han Solo Movie: Michael K. Williams’ Role Cut Due To Reshoot Schedule Issues

It looks like Michael Kenneth Williams won’t be in the standalone “Star Wars: Han Solo” movie after all. His part has been entirely removed amid reshoots currently being done with new director Ron Howard.

Not long ago this year (two months, to be exact) Lucasfilm announced that it parted ways with original “Han Solo” movie directors Phil Lord and Chirs Miller. After a few days, Ron Howard was approached to helm the untitled solo film, to which he also agreed. Since then, all things seemed to be back on track—until now.

Michael Kenneth Williams Exits The Untitled ‘Han Solo’ Movie

Deadline reports that “The Night Of” and “12 Years a Slave” actor Michael K. Williams’ character in the untitled “Han Solo” movie has been completely cut off from the movie due to scheduling problems for the reshoots. Williams is currently signed on to star in the upcoming spy drama “The Red Sea Diving Resort,” a movie he booked after knowingly finishing his shooting parts for the “Han Solo” movie. He stars alongside Chris Evans and Ben Kingsley in the film. And since his role in “The Red Sea Diving Resort” is quite substantial, this made it impossible for him to make it to the reshoots.

“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,” Williams said. “And that would have required me on a plane a month ago to London, to Pinewood, to do reshoots. But I’m here, on location in Africa. It’s scheduling. I’m not going to be back on the market until the end of November after [his SundanceTV series] Hap and Leonard, and for them to wait that long for me, that would have pushed back the release date, which I believe is in May 2018. They wanted me now; I couldn’t go. So they had to clip-clip-clip.”

It’s still currently unknown as to which character Williams played for “Han Solo,” but he said that his part involved something who was a half-human and half-animal. “We created a kickass character, in my opinion. I’m proud of it.” Williams added.

The untitled Han Solo film is written by long-time “Star Wars” scribe Lawrence Kasdan and Jon Kasdan. The movie follows Han Solo’s life as a thief, smuggler, and scoundrel in the days before he met Luke Skywalker and became a Rebel Ally. It would also show how Han was able to acquire the Millennium Falcon from Lando Calrissian and how he met his Wookie best friend, Chewbacca.

“Han Solo” is slated for a May 25, 2018 release.