As we reported roughly three weeks ago, Hail Caesar actor Alden Ehrenreich has been tapped to take up the torch passed by legendary actor Harrison Ford, and will be young Han Solo in his own standalone film directed by LEGO Movie Phil Lord and Christopher Miller…
Page Six is reporting that Disney/Lucasfilm and Kathleen Kennedy has finally found their man to don the mantle of the smuggler with a heart of gold, and his name is Hail Caesar‘s Alden Ehrenreich.
"“Hollywood sources tell us Ehrenreich has signed on to play the iconic role, made famous by Harrison Ford, in the new movie, slated for 2018, which will focus on Solo before he joined the Rebel Alliance.”"
Ehrenreich, who beat out other candidates who include Divergent star Miles Teller, as well as Kingsman star Taron Egerton, and Sing Street star Jack Reynor, came out of nowhere to grab the role. In fact, many hollywood insiders had pegged Egerton as the frontrunner, until Ehrenreich was tapped as the next Han Solo.
According to Page Six, the casting of Han Solo has been kept so secret, that it was named “Project Red Cup,” a rather hilarious reference to the red plastic solo cup. The snark is strong with them.
The Han Solo standalone is being produced and scripted by legendary screenwriter, Lawrence Kasdan, who wrote The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and The Force Awakens, (with his son Jon Kasdan and J.J. Abrams). Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy is producing.
Kasdan said in a recent interview that the Han Solo film would not delve too deep into the origins of Han Solo:
"“It will not be, ‘Here’s where he was born and this is how he was raised.’ I think what it will be is, ‘What was he like 10 years earlier?’ . . . But [legendary Japanese filmmaker Akira] Kurosawa once said the heroes are the ones that are still changing and the villains are locked and petrified into what they are.”"
According to Page Six, Han Solo starts shooting in January, but reports are that the early casting is because the new Solo will have a cameo in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which is shooting now, and nearly finished. That film is said to be set between Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.
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We want to hear from you! Do you think Alden Ehrenreich is the perfect young Han Solo? Can you see him piloting the Millennium Falcon next to Chewbacca getting into all kinds of trouble? And, does it come as a surprise that he will have a cameo in Rogue One? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, and on social media!