While still shrouded in extreme secrecy, one actor may be ahead of the pack in soon portraying a young Han Solo in Disney’s upcoming standalone prequel, further continuation of their rebooting of the Star Wars brand. When the project – being directed by The LEGO Movie‘s Phil Lord and Christopher Miller – was first announced, a natural question emerged: Who could possibly fill the shoes of Harrison Ford, who made the part iconic in George Lucas’ original trilogy as well as the recent Star Wars: The Force Awakens? Deadline reports that Alden Ehrenreich may just be that guy.
Who? Well the rising actor recently earned warm notices (including here) for his performance as the dim, but sweet-natured western star in Joel and Ethan Coen’s vintage Hollywood yarn Hail, Caesar! Ehrenreich has also recently appeared in the young adult adaptation Beautiful Creatures and had featured parts in recent indie Blue Jasmine and Stoker. He also has the lead role in Warren Beatty’s upcoming and still untitled “Howard Hughes Project,” a movie that Fox is likely to release some time later this year. Still, the 26-year old actor is a relative newcomer, something which might make for appealing find for a young Han Solo if plans come together.
Disney hasn’t confirmed anything as of yet but a casting search has been ongoing for while now. Other contenders for the part reportedly include (or included) Kingsman breakout Taron Egerton, rising actor Jack Reynor (Macbeth) and Emory Cohen (Brooklyn). Everything is still tightly-lipped but we will continue to follow this ongoing story. Ehrenreich currently just wrapped the drama The Yellow Birds starring Jennifer Aniston (Cake), Tye Sheridan (Mud) and Toni Collette (Glassland).
Jon Kasden and Lawrence Kasden will pen the screenplay for the upcoming Han Solo project, know now only as “Untitled Han Solo Star Wars Anthology Film.” The film is expected to hit theaters on May 25, 2018.
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