The shortlist of frontrunners for the role includes Miles Teller (Whiplash), Ansel Egort (The Fault In Our Stars), Dave Franco (21 Jump Street), Jack Reynor (What Richard Did), Scott Eastwood (Fury), Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson), Emory Cohen (Brooklyn), and Blake Jenner (Glee).
The studio reportedly shortened its list after watching screenings from thousands of actors, with non-disclosure agreements and test deals still in the works for the list of final contenders. Disney will look to solidify its choice for young Han Solo as soon as possible. The oldest actor currently in contention is Scott Eastwood (29), but the studio allegedly screened actors between ages 17 and 34 for the role.
The Han Solo spinoff project will not begin shooting until January of 2017, but sources told Variety that the early casting decision has to do with the closer spinoff film currently on the docket, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which is set to be released on December 16, 2016. That film takes place between Episode III and IV of the series, and is about the squad of anti-imprerialists who steals the plans for the first death star.
Such a quick casting timeline could mean that whoever is cast as Solo gets a brief cameo in the first Star Wars spinoff film before heading into his own feature project early next year. And that would fit with production schedules; Rogue One still has a month of filming left before it hits post-production.
Whoever the studio chooses, the actor still has a long time to wait before his portrayal of young Han hits screens for the first time. The Han Solo spinoff is currently scheduled to hit theaters on May 28, 2018.
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