Star Wars: Actor shortlist for Han Solo spinoff revealed

Disney and Lucasfilm are zeroing in on the actor to fill the large boots left by Harrison Ford in the upcoming Star Wars spinoff, which will focus on a young adult Han Solo.

After reportedly meeting with thousands of actors, sources have told Variety that the list has been cut down to "about a dozen actors." Among the names who have made the cut are Miles Teller (Fantastic Four), Ansel Elgort (The Fault in Our Stars), Dave Franco (21 Jump Street), Jack Reynor (Transformers: Age of Extinction), Scott Eastwood (Fury), Logan Lerman (The Perks of Being a Wallflower), Emory Cohen (The Place Beyond the Pines), and Blake Jenner (Glee). None of those names were on our list of preferred actors, but it's worth mentioning we made that list before it was revealed that the film would focus on a young adult Han Solo.

According to the report, a decision is expected "in the next couple of weeks." Filming on the second Star Wars Anthology film is slated to begin next January; however, sources emphasize the importance of finding the actor to play the part "has more to do with another 'Star Wars' film currently shooter, rather than the untitled 'Han Solo' pic." It's under the assumption that the new Han Solo will have a small cameo in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, another spinoff that centers on a small band of Rebels who set out on a mission to steal the plans for the Death Star.

With Rogue One set between Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Episode IV: A New Hope, it would make this new Han Solo age appropriate for a cameo. As Variety notes, Disney and Marvel applied the same strategy with their new Spider-Man, casting Tom Holland early in order for him to cameo in Captain America: Civil War before appearing in his own standalone film.

Rogue One still has a month of shooting to go before hitting theaters on December 16, 2016. The Han Solo spinoff, meanwhile, still has a ways to go, with a target release date of May 25, 2018.

[Variety]