Han Solo movie villain revealed? Michael K Williams confirmed for Star Wars spin-off

For a few days now, Michael K Williams – best known for his role as Omar Little in The Wire – has been linked to Disney and Lucasfilm's upcoming Star Wars spin-off centred on a young Han Solo. Now, the Boardwalk Empire actor has confirmed that he'll appear alongside Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke, Atlanta's Donald Glover and lead Alden Ehrenreich in the film, as many publications have started predicting that he'll play the villain.

When asked whether he was involved in the project during an interview with Entertainment Weekly: The Show, the 50-year-old candidly admitted: "Yes ma'am. I think it's pretty safe to say, yeah, I think I'm going to be a part of the family." Meanwhile, around the same time, the studios also released a press release officially announcing the news.

Williams joins the aforementioned cast members, as well as Fleabag's Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Westworld's Thandie Newton, basketball player-turned-actor Joonas Suotamo (as Chewbacca) and Woody Harrelson. The latter is set to play Solo's on-screen mentor.

So, what makes people think that Williams might be portraying the movie's antagonist? Well, it all goes back to when Williams' involvement was just a rumour and Variety's Justin Kroll took to Twitter to write: "I wasn't able to confirm but feel MKW is the villain in the pic from other sources." However, the statement issued by Disney and Lucasfilm specifically touched upon Williams' "charisma, humanity, and nobility" which don't sound like personality traits synonymous with a baddie.

Directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the currently untitled Han Solo Star Wars anthology film began filming at Pinewood Studios in February and is scheduled to reach big screens in the US on 25 May 2018. The latest script was penned by screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) and his son Jon (Dawson's Creek).

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