There is a Star Wars spin-off film in the works and casting Han Solo has been quite the ordeal. Back in December, it was reported that Disney and Lucasfilm had auditioned over 2500 different actors for the part. An agent for an actor that auditioned for the part described the upcoming film as the “easiest movie to audition for,” claiming that “they are seeing everyone.” Now, after first narrowing everyone down to a shortlist including Ansel Elgort and Emory Cohen, and then later a finalist list including Taron Egerton and Jack Reynor, a Han Solo has finally been selected. Let the hunger games end.
According to “sources,” Alden Ehrenreich is now in the final negotiations stage of signing on to reprise the role that Harrison Ford first introduced almost three decades ago. The 26-year-old actor had a breakthrough performance in the Coen brothers’ latest film, Hail, Caesar!, and now he has landed one of Hollywood’s most coveted male leading roles.
Details on the project are predictably scarce. (Even its title, which may or may not be Han Solo: A Star Wars Story, is unconfirmed.) Now that the casting is done, however, at least production can proceed on schedule. The standalone film is due to start shooting in January 2017, and has a planned worldwide release date of May 25, 2018.