Han Solo film adds Paul Bettany to its cast

'It's my third opportunity to work with Paul. He's a blast & so talented,' director Ron Howard wrote

The Han Solo film has roped in the talents of Paul Bettany.

Director Ron Howard, who took over after Chris Miller and Phil Lord were fired, posted an image of himself alongside Bettany to Twitter with the words, "The Outer Rim just got a little bit wilder".

After fans went wild asking for confirmation as to Bettany's involvement, Howard followed up the tweet with, "It's my third opportunity to work with Paul. He's a blast & so talented", referring to their previous collaborations on A Beautiful Mind and The Da Vinci Code.

The news comes soon after it was revealed Michael K. Williams would no longer appear in the film due scheduling issues with the film's extensive reshoots, with Lucasfilm keen to move away from the improv-reliant, heavily comedic tone first established by Lord and Miller.

"When Ron Howard got hired to finish out the film, there were some reshoot issues that needed to be done in regards to my character, in order for it to match the new direction which the producers wanted Ron to carry the film in," Williams explained. "And that would have required me on a plane a month ago to London, to Pinewood, to do reshoots. But I’m here, on location in Africa. It’s scheduling."

​Bettany is already part of the wider Disney family, starring as Vision in the MCU, with a role in the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War.

The as-yet-untitled Han Solo film hits UK cinemas 25 May 2018.