It wasn’t exactly a well-kept Hollywood secret, but Alden Ehrenreich has now been officially confirmed as the actor set to portray a young Han Solo in the upcoming (still untitled) spin-off film. Directors Christopher Miller and Phil Lord stated that Alden was the first actor to audition for the part, with them staging 3,000 auditions in total before ultimately deciding upon him.
Speaking about the audition process, Ehrenreich stated that he had “screen tested with Chewbacca,” adding: “I’ve never acted with a Wookiee before.”
Alden Ehrenreich, the new Han Solo is talking about the untitled film on stage. #StarWars #SWCE pic.twitter.com/CqHzgZ5lAo
— Paul Tamburro (@PaulTamburro) July 17, 2016
Ehrenreich showed up during the Future Filmmakers panel at Star Wars Celebration 2016, his first official appearance for the film franchise. The actor, who most recently starred in Hail, Caesar!, has been linked to the role since May. Though he doesn’t look much like Harrison Ford, he does share a pretty similar grin, so there’s that.
There was also a cool little moment shared between Ehrenreich and John Boyega, who appeared as a special guest during the panel, with the Finn actor addressing Ehrenreich, saying: “Oh man, you’re playing Han Solo, man. Damn! He’s smiling just like him!” Boyega continued: “You’ve got the charm thing down. Look at him, he’s smiling just like Han Solo.”
Filming on the untitled Han Solo spin-off will begin in either January or February 2017. Directors Miller and Lord stated that they are still working on its script.
