Woody Harrelson is in negotiations to play Admiral Chester Nimitz in the war movie 'Midway'.

Woody Harrelson

Woody Harrelson

The 56-year-old actor and Mandy Moore have both held talks about starring roles in the Roland Emmerich-directed film, which focuses on a key battle in World War Two.

The movie has been handed a budget of around $100 million and shooting is scheduled to start on August 16, meaning the studio will hope to strike deals with Harrelson and Moore in the coming weeks.

The project is being financed by Chinese firms Starlight Entertainment Group and Providence Entertainment, with filming set to take place in Canada and Hawaii, according to Deadline.

In the more immediate future, Harrelson is set to appear as Garris Shrike, a mentor to Han Solo, in the much-anticipated 'Solo: A Star Wars Story'.

The Hollywood veteran has never been a 'Star War' fanatic, but he was still thrilled to have been offered a role in the Ron Howard-directed film.

He said: "I liked the movies, without being a fanatic. But to be offered that role felt like a very cool opportunity."

Harrelson also admitted that the film's script was shrouded in more secrecy than anything he's previously experienced in the movie business.

He joked: "You don't even get a script.

"It's all done on an e-reader with an encrypted password and if you so much as walk off set, you have to wear a cloak in case a drone flies over and takes a picture. It's crazy."