Following the news that he's joined the cast of the Han Solo spinoff movie, Variety caught up with Oscar nominee Woody Harrelson, who confirmed that he'll be playing Garris Shrike in the film.
If that name sounds familiar, it's because Shrike appeared in the Han Solo Trilogy of Legends continuity novels by the late Ann C. Crispin. I'm sure that fans will be delighted to see that the character is now being introduced into the Canon.
In the books, Shrike is a criminal who forces a gang or orphans to do his bidding, similar to Fagin in Oliver Twist. One of the unfortunate boys under his command happens to be a young Han Solo, who eventually escapes from the life of servitude. I won't spoil what happens next incase you haven't read the books, but I will say that Shrike takes none to kindly to Solo's leaving and chooses to extract his own brutal brand of revenge.
It's looking likely that Shrike will be the main antagonist of the film, which sits well with how Crispin depicted him as being cruel and sadistic. As he proved in Seven Psychopaths, Harrelson can play one heck of a villain, so we should be in for something special.
The Han Solo movie will be directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, and hits screens on 25 May 2018.
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