The Spotlight: Paul Bettany calls 'SOLO' a 'gangster movie,' says Ron Howard 'reshot a lot more than was originally intended'

(image via Ron Howard)

We don't know much about Ron Howard's upcoming Star Wars standalone SOLO: A Star Wars Story (still the worst), but Paul Bettany sure seems excited about it.

Good enough for me.

"It's Han Solo's story, and of course his story would be a caper," Bettany says in the latest issue of Total Film Magazine. "On one level it's a gangster movie. That's really interesting, because it's within the canon but really different. It's fucking Han Solo!"

A sort of prequel to the original trilogy, the story centers around a young Han Solo and an assumably younger Chewbacca as the pair start earning their smuggling stripes in the criminal underbelly of the outer rim. Not much else is known other than we're guaranteed a run-in with Lando Calrissian played by Donald Glover. I'd bet we gain a lot more insight into the pair's awkward reunion in Empire Strikes Back. Bettany's character sounds par for the course.

"Suddenly, I'm an intergalactic gangster and I'm walking down some stairs and an R2 unit goes by with some champagne, and I'm like... [drops jaw] I had that feeling that I hadn't had since I was first on a film set - I was a little boy doing the best job in the world."

Bettany was a late addition to the shoot, but had nothing but praise for Howard's handling of the project. The renowned filmmaker was brought in by Lucasfilm to overhaul the film after Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were dismissed during principal photography.

"His staging ability is so fucking brilliant," says Bettany of Howard. "I think he went in and he was like a laser, working out what needed to be done when he looked at the footage. And then, as things moved on, everybody felt so secure with him. And they gave him more. He reshot a lot more than was originally intended."

SOLO hits theaters May 25, 2018.

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Sounds good.

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Happy anniversary.

#OTD sixteen years ago, 19 December 2001, a film made in New Zealand was released in cinemas worldwide. Nobody knew if it would be a hit or a flop. "The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring" went on to reach millions of fans and remains one of the most beloved pictures of the 21st century.

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Congrats.

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Thank you to all at the Seattle film critics society.this is very much appreciate. #seattlefilmcriticsociety #split #splitmovie

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Yoda.

Per your tweet Rian, I remember going with a friend to my first audience preview of BOWFINGER. My friend judged only the rough cut he saw that night and as we exited the theater he whispered to me, "You'd better get another movie, fast!" It's all about process. .....oz
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Find the time.

Took a break from editing #Solo to see #LastJedi Great job @rianjohnson cast & crew. The paying crowd our family saw it with cheered & applauded pic.twitter.com/S7RWYA0dfK
— Ron Howard (@RealRonHoward) December 20, 2017

Good stuff.

This is why I love my job. Happy Christmas to all the little hero’s around the world. Thank you Grady hospital for having us and I’m sure we’ll see you soon ❤️ #smilesallround

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Someone should go.

You ever look around and think ... bloody hell I’ve got a lot of stuff... yeah , me too.
April 7th next year I’ll be having an auction .Career stuff, stuff I’ve collected and stuff in general . Paintings, Aubrey’s violin, watches ... if you like stuff, save the date pic.twitter.com/1Tx4JYDdKe
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I want.

Up close #incrediblegift 🙏🏼✨#bladerunner #harissonford #seanyoung #upclose #everyshot #giftofalifetime ✨🙏🏼💥

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Dang.

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Hang in there.

Christmas shopping is going horribly thanks for asking. I go out to shop for others and yes, dammit, yes, I just buy shit for myself. 🎁🎅😳🙄

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