Paul Bettany joins the Han Solo movie… but is he replacing Michael K. Williams or playing someone new?

The cast they are a-changing. The Han Solo movie may have lost Michael K. Williams due to scheduling conflicts but Vision himself – Paul Bettany – has been parachuted in to replace Williams. Multiple sources, though, are torn on whether it’s a direct replacement or a new character entirely.

Ron Howard, as is his wont so far on the Han Solo production, has tweeted out the Paul Bettany news with the message ‘The Outer Rim just got a little wilder.’ It will be the third time the pair have teamed up, having worked together on The Da Vinci Code and A Beautiful Mind.

Following on from Michael K. Williams departing with a hint at his character’s ‘half-human, half-animal’ portrayal, Deadline are reporting that Bettany’s character will not only be fully-human but a completely different character entirely.

Here, though, the plot thickens. /Film’s sources indicate something slightly different: Bettany will definitely be a human but he’ll be playing the exact same (kick-ass, in Williams’ words) character that The Wire actor was due to play.

I’m sure Bettany is glad he’s playing a human at least after the hours upon hours spent in makeup when playing Vision. Whether he’ll be a surrogate Michael K. Williams (which, honestly, would just make me sad) or a brand-new creation is up to the powers that be. Though a like-for-like swap certainly seems like the easier possibility after the Han Solo movie’s well-documented production problems.

Need more Han Solo movie news in your life? Find out about the Darth Vader actor being cast in the movie (yes, really), and this wicked-cool shot from the movie. Ron Howard is doing a-ok, guys.

Image: Marvel