Meet Dryden Vos.
You know him, of course; he’s one of the chief antagonists set to feature during Solo: A Star Wars Story, and he’ll be brought to life by none other than Paul Bettany of Infinity War fame.
If you’ve paid close attention to Solo‘s development cycle, you’ll know that the role of Vos was originally earmarked for Michael K. Williams (Assassin’s Creed), who departed soon after erstwhile directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller last summer. In doing so, they opened up the field for Ron Howard to climb aboard, before Bettany ultimately landed the role of Dryden Vos. And what a role it’s shaping up to be.
Described as a high-rolling gangster and a fixture of Star Wars‘ criminal underworld, it’s actually Bettany’s antagonist who’s responsible for recruiting the likes of Han and Chewie for a daring heist, which just so happens to feature in Empire’s newly-unveiled action shots. Embedded below, you’ll see Alden Ehrenreich’s smuggler clinging on to the side of the Conveyex, along with a close-up of Dryden Vos and what appears to be some Mandalorian armor. It’s not Boba Fett, but it’s pretty damn close.
Chances are Ron Howard has a big action sequence planned for Dryden Vos, who may well team with the sinister Enfys Nest, another of Solo‘s big bads, once shit inevitably begins hurling towards the fan. Either that, or Boba Fett really will feature in some capacity once the lights go down late next month. Ditto for Jabba the Hutt, who is also rumored for a cameo role in Lucasfilm’s anthology pic.
Whatever the case, on May 25th, Ron Howard’s Solo movie will steer the Star Wars franchise towards uncharted territory. And we couldn’t be more excited.
