The 26-year-old actor is officially introduced as the young 'Star Wars' iconic male-lead character for the second spin-off at the 'Star Wars' celebration.
- Jul 18, 2016
AceShowbiz - Filmmakers Phil Lord and Chris Miller, accompanied by Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, have confirmed that Alden Ehrenreich is cast as the young Han Solo for the untitled stand-alone Star Wars film II. The news was officially announced on Sunday, July 17 during the Future Filmmaker Panel at Star Wars Celebration Europe 2016.
The actor reportedly nabbed Harrison Ford's legendary role in May and made his first appearance in the panel which also included Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill and John Boyega. They gave the 26-year-old actor advice, "You're going to be fine. You've got that charm stuff down. Enjoy the ride."
According to the directors, Ehrenreich was literally the first person to audition for the role out of 3.000 actors. He said, "We thought this was the hardest casting challenge of all time. They were the biggest boots to fill, but we cast the first person who walked through the door. Sorry Kathy - we wasted your money." Kennedy quipped, "I am going to take it out of your salary."
The "Hail Caesar" and "Beautiful Creatures" actor was screen-tested in the Millennium Falcon with Chewbacca. "I've never screen-tested with a Wookiee," Ehrenreich said about the audition, "It was amazing."
The helmers will direct the film from a script written by Lawrence Kasdan and his son Jon. Though the plot detail is still kept under wraps, the film is described as an origin story about Han Solo and his best buddy Chewbacca. According to Miller, the filming is set to begin either late January or early February 2017 in England. It will arrive in U.S. theaters on May 25, 2018.
