intergalactic casting couch

Alden Ehrenreich Appears at Star Wars Event to Officially Confirm Han Solo Role

Photo: 2016 Getty Images

It’s been widely reported that Hail, Caesar! star Alden Ehrenreich was in final contract negotiations to assume the role of a young Han Solo in an upcoming Star Wars stand-alone origin film, but now the casting news has been officially confirmed by the film’s directors and Ehrenreich himself. At the Star Wars Celebration “Future Filmmakers” panel in London earlier today, directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller briefly expounded upon their casting decision, saying that they auditioned over 3,000 actors before settling on Ehrenreich — interestingly, the very first actor the directors saw for Solo. (He was also required to do a screen test with Chewbacca on the Millennium Falcon.) Ehrenreich surprised the attendees by appearing at the panel, where he told the crowd: “When it first came along, I knew everybody would be going out for it. I read the sides and loved them. I auditioned for six months … It was unbelievable. It was more exciting than nerve-wracking. I thought, ‘Who knows, but let me give it a shot.’” Learn more about the actor here.

Alden Ehrenreich Confirms Han Solo Role