'Solo: A Star Wars Story' News: Director, Screenwriters Preview Characters of Woody Harrelson, Thandie Newton, Paul Bettany

By Denise See, Christian Post Contributor Tuesday, February 13, 2018

"Solo: A Star Wars Story" focuses on the young smuggler, Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich), so it is not surprising for him to meet other criminals along the way.

One of these criminals is Tobias Beckett, played by Woody Harrelson. It is already known that Beckett acts as a mentor of sorts to Han, but he is much more than that.

"Well, he really shapes Han really more than anybody, as Han comes to realize that in a lawless time he needs to try to come to terms with some kind of moral code," director Ron Howard told Entertainment Weekly.

Screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan, who wrote the film with his son Jon, also explained that Beckett leaves a lasting influence on the young smuggler. "Han sort of forces himself into Woody's life. It starts a relationship that has enormous impact on what kind of person Han will be," he said.

There are two other outlaws that will be introduced in the Han Solo standalone film. The first one is Val (Thandie Newton), who has been partners with Beckett for quite some time. Han, who meets Val through Beckett, does not make a very good first impression on her. However, Jon Kasdan teased a fascinating relationship between the two.

"She's a little skeptical of this kid when she meets him," he said. "And her relationship with him goes in, I think, an ... interesting direction."

The other outlaw is Dryden Vos (Paul Bettany), who is in no way related to Quinlan Vos from "The Clone Wars." Unlike Han, he is more of a commanding criminal who does not do the dirty work himself. "He's way deeper in the crime world than anyone else that we meet in the movie," Jon Kasdan said.

A teaser trailer for the highly anticipated "Star Wars" prequel was released last week. It features a lot of action, the character of Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover's Lando Calrissian, and a young Han with that familiar smug persona.

"Solo: A Star Wars Story" will premiere in U.S. cinemas on May 25.