As Beauty and the Beast finds itself in a precarious position, Disney’s most reliable franchise saves the day by announcing more Star Wars casting news.
Not long ago, reports broke that Michael K. Williams was about to join the Han Solo origin film. Much like Woody Harrelson, we all assumed that the news basically meant the deal was done. But today, Lucasfilm kindly confirmed it. Thank you, Lucasfilm.
Which begs the question: Why is Lucasfilm making a big deal about something considered as verifiable fact almost 3 days go?
Is it because Michael K. Williams has a really big role in next year’s film? Is he playing the only Jedi in the film? Maybe he’s Yoda adjacent? (You have to follow some of the tropes of the original.) Or is it because Disney has a beast of a problem on their hands right now? More specifically, a Beauty and the Beast type problem.
While we’re all champions of progress here, Disney finds itself putting out a few fires in light of Beauty and the Beast‘s reveal that LeFou would be their first gay character. Unfortunately, Bill Condon’s efforts to befriend the gay community ultimately backfired when one theater in Alabama created a big stink about LeFou, whose sexuality, according to the trades and early reviews, isn’t as prominent as Condon led people to believe. Combined with Emma Watson’s ongoing mishaps with feminism (not her fault) and the mixed reviews for the film, it looks like Disney’s upcoming live action adaptation won’t be as ludicrous at the box office as they once hoped.
Condon has since walked back his claims a little bit. But ironically, it’s been covered up by Mary Poppins photos.
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How fortunate is Disney to have a studio like Lucasfilm in its corner? When there’s a problem, they can call upon a juggernaut to bail them out. More importantly, how lucky are we, the audience, to live in an era where not one, not two, but three Star Wars films are currently in various stages of production? On any given day, Star Wars can make a headline. And when you click through a link, you may read about The Last Jedi, Episode IX or Han Solo. How amazing is that?