Will the real Han Solo, please stand up. It’s official, Disney has begun its full assault search for a young Han Solo to lead the anthology standalone film and replace one of the most iconic roles in cinema history. Casting director Jeanne McCarthy is leading the wide search of a worthy choice.
The standalone Han Solo film isn’t set to begin production until early 2017 with a release date of May 25, 2018, so producers have time, but choosing a successor to Harrison Ford, who made the character such an iconic scoundrel in the initial Star Wars trilogy, is without question tall order. According to The Hollywood Reporter, over 2,500 actors have auditioned for the role either in person or via videotape. The casting isn’t fixated on an American actor, as Canadian and British actors are also in consideration for the role.
Among notable actors vying for the role are Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Avengers: Age of Ultron), Miles Teller (Whiplash), Nick Robinson (Jurassic World), Leo Howard (Kickin’ It) and Tony Oller (The Purge). Other candidates possibly in the running include Dave Franco (Neighbors) and Ansel Elgort (The Fault in Our Stars). Both experienced and relative unknown actors are getting crack at the role of a lifetime, which is a departure from the casting of The Force Awakens as director J.J. Abrams went to great lengths to cast relative unknowns including Daisy Ridley and John Boyega.
Directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, of The LEGO Movie fame, are set to reboot the origin story with a script penned by Star Wars veteran writer Lawrence Kasdan and Jon Kasdan.
Whilst we wait, Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens on December 18th.
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