Disney and Lucasfilm are apparently closer to finding their young Han Solo for the currently untitled Star Wars spinoff film. Variety reports the list of actors has been severely cut down.
Sources tell Variety that after seeing thousands of actors, execs have cut the list down to about a dozen actors with Miles Teller, Ansel Elgort, Dave Franco, Jack Reynor, Scott Eastwood, Logan Lerman, “Brooklyn” star Emory Cohen and “Everybody Wants Some” actor Blake Jenner among the names making the cut.
Those are some interesting, yet predictable names. All the men listed above are fine actors, but none of them really jump out. There’s a good mix of up-and-coming talent (Cohen, Jenner) with established actors (Franco and Teller), but nobody that screams Han Solo.
Personally, out of those names Emory Cohen, who gave a brilliant performance in this year’s Brooklyn, has the necessary badassery Solo possesses and would be my choice. Names that were cut from the last list which made the rounds include Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Avengers: Age of Ultron), Rami Malek (Mr. Robot), Chandler Riggs (The Walking Dead), Colton Haynes (Arrow) and Tom Felton (the Harry Potter films).
According to Variety‘s Justin Kroll, non-disclosure agreements and test deals are currently being worked out, as producer Kathleen Kennedy and the film’s directors Chris Miller and Phil Lord are expected to test actors soon and make a decision in the next couple of weeks. A source close to the situation said Disney and Lucasfilm could be fast-tracking the hire so the Han Solo actor could potentially have a small cameo in the upcoming Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
So whether you like it or not, a new iteration of Han Solo is coming. Will he capture the essence of the character Harrison Ford and George Lucas created? That’s a tall feat, but Disney seems confident its narrowing focus in on the right actor.
[Variety]