An unconfirmed report indicates that Hail, Caesar! actor Alden Ehrenreich is now the leading contender to play a young Han Solo in the upcoming, still-untitled spinoff movie that will explore the popular Star Wars character’s early years. The film is set to be directed by The LEGO Movie and 21 Jump Street filmmakers Phil Lord and Chris Miller.
According to Deadline, Ehrenreich’s performance during the most recent screen test pushed him to the lead in the competitive audition process, which had him competing against Kingsman: The Secret Service star Taron Egerton and Transformers: Age of Extinction actor Jack Reynor (among other actors) for the role.
There’s still no official word on who will play Han Solo, though, but the outlet suggests an announcement will come soon.
Related: Stream Star Wars: The Force Awakens on Amazon Video
Ehrenreich most recently appeared in Hail, Caesar! as a western star in 1951 Hollywood, and has also portrayed characters in Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine, Chan-wook Park’s Stoker, and the 2013 young-adult adaptation Beautiful Creatures. The 26-year-old actor was nominated for a Teen Choice Award for his Beautiful Creatures role.
Little is known about the plot of the still-untitled Han Solo movie, which is rumored to be set during the character’s formative years as a smuggler and all-around scoundrel in the Star Wars universe. It has been confirmed, however, that the film will also feature Han’s copilot Chewbacca, and will likely provide an origin story of sorts for their partnership. Joonas Suotamo, who played Chewbacca throughout much of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, is expected to reprise the role for the Han Solo movie.
Longtime star Wars franchise veterans Lawrence Kasdan and Jon Kasdan are providing the script for the film, which is scheduled to hit theaters May 25, 2018.
