Months before Disney and LucasFilm confirmed in May thatAlden Ehrenreichis playing the iconicHan Soloin the studio’s newStar Warsspin-off, there were a slew of actors rumored to be in consideration for the coveted role. Actors such asDave Franco,Jack ReynorandLogan Lermanwere reportedly contender. Today, we learned a bit more about whyAlden Ehrenreichwas chosen. DirectorsPhil LordandChris Millerexplain in a new interview that the actor went through a grueling audition process.
We first reported on Disney’s casting process for thisStar Wars spin-offback in December 2015, with the studio reportedly telling talent agencies to submit their clients who are between the ages of 18 and 32.Alden Ehrenreichwasn’t among the initial batch of rumored contenders, such asAaron Taylor-Johnson,Miles TellerandNick Robinson, but directorsPhil LordandChris MillertoldUSA TodaythatAlden Ehrenreichwas literally the first actor to read for the role. Here’s whatChris Millerhad to say about whatAlden Ehrenreichhad to go through to land the Han Solo role.
“That guy pretty much went through an audition pentathlon; it was like an acting steeplechase. He went against a lot of verystrong competitorsand was very consistently the guy from minute one. He was the first person who auditioned out of thousands, and just out of the box, made you believe that someday he’d grow into the character we know.”
As of now,Alden Ehrenreichis the only confirmed cast member for this adventure, which will be reportedly set 10 years beforeA New Hope. There have been rumors thatLando Calrissianwill return for this story, with other reports claiming that Disney/LucasFilm are eyeingDonald Gloverfor the role. The last we heard about this project was a report from a few weeks ago that revealed cinematographerBradford Younghas signed on.
There was also a report from August that directorsPhil LordandChris Millerare castingSana Solo, Han Solo’s first wife. That report claimed the casting search had been narrowed down to four actresses, none of whom are white, but the contenders were not identified.Han Solo: A Star Wars Storyhas been set for release on August 21, 2025, with production scheduled to begin in early 2017.
