Disney Closing In On Young Han Solo Actor
Disney, Lucasfilm and directors Phil Lord and Chris Millerare getting close to announcing their young Han Solo for his own standaloneStar Wars spin-off movie.
The search to find an actor to fill Han’s leather vest are
in their final stages with three names rumoured to be about to board the Millennium
Falcon.
Multiple sources have spoken to The Hollywood Reporter and
have confirmed that in London last weekend, tests were conducted involving:
Alden Ehrenreich, who stole the show in Hail, Caesar!,
Jack Reynor, best known for his work inTransformers: Age of Extinction
And Taron Egerton, the star of The Kingsmanand Eddie the Eagle.
Although nothing has been confirmed by Disney, there couldalso be other candidates for the role hidden behind the customary high level of
security surrounding each Star Wars production.
That group of three was whittled down from a previous group
of ten who got to meet with both Lord and Miller; amongst their number was Miles
Teller, the Whiplash star who appears in the Divergent movies; Ansel Elgort,
the Fault in Our Stars star who also is in the Divergent movies, and Emory
Cohen, who played Saoirse Ronan’s love interest in the Oscar-nominated
Brooklyn.
The story has been building in intrigue as Disney and
Lucasfilm searched the length and breadth of the galaxy in order to find a
suitable replacement for Harrison Ford. Sources have said more than 2,500
actors have either met with those in charge of casting or put themselves on
tape, becoming part of one of the widest casting calls ever.
However, it wouldn’t be right to have a Han Solo moviewithout his BFF Chewbacca who, according to The Wrap, will appear in the movie.
Many fans may have already assumed that Chewie would play a part in the movie
but it wasn’t until Disney chief Bob Iger talked “Star Wars” during his time at
the Deutsche Bank 2016 Media, Internet & Telecom Conference earlier this
week that we got confirmation of sorts.
Speaking about upcoming Star Wars projects Iger said: “’Rogue
One’ … is about a band of rebels plotting to steal the plans to the Death
Star,” the Disney boss said. “It takes place right before what was George
Lucas‘s first film, which came out in 1977 and is now called ‘A New Hope.'”
“We have others in the works, including one, which is an
origin story about Han Solo and Chewy,” he continued. “And that’ll come after
‘Star Wars 8’ in 2018. And then there’ll be possibly be more thereafter.”
Okay, so it’s not cast iron and nor does it confirm at what
stage in their relationship we’ll met the pair (will it be a complete origin
story or whether we’ll join them after that first meet cute) but it at least
confirms he’ll play a part in proceedings.
Producer Kathleen Kennedy had previously hinted that the
movie may find Han Solo in his late teens, but according to The Force Awakens
co-writer and screenwriter for the Solo movie, Lawrence Kasdan it’ll be set, at
most, a decade before Star Wars.
Which means, as Empire points out, we’re more likely to geta character like the Han Solo of the old, and sadly now non-canonical, BrianDaley novels like Han Solo At Stars’ End and Han Solo’s Revenge. Which isn’t
too far off Harrison Ford’s loveable rogue.
