4. Armie Hammer
This is more of a selfish pick for me. I was a big supporter of casting Armie Hammer as Batman before Ben Affleck disappointed me. Hammer may not look it, but he's still in his 20's. He caught on to the mainstream with his performance as the Winklevoss twins in The Social Network, but tapped into his action-persona with 2013's The Lone Ranger and the upcoming film The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
I actually took the time to watch the universally panned Lone Ranger, and to be honest, I was pretty entertained. Sure, the film had problems, but Hammer was not one of them. He carried his scenes well with Johnny Depp and pulled off the "charming action hero" bit rather well.
5. Chris Pratt
No surprises here. Pratt is the new man in tinsel-town as he's essentially becoming our generation's Harrison Ford. Pratt is the endearing, rugged, every-man we can relate to thanks to his heartfelt personality. From his time on Parks and Rec, to his breakout appearances in Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World, Pratt delivers. He may seem like the knee-jerk reaction casting choice here, but there's a reason I'm placing him 5th. Pratt would no doubt make a good "current" Han Solo, but he may be a bit too old for what the movie is going for.
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Make no mistake, screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan and Lego Movie directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller have their work cut out for them. Even though we didn't get the Boba Fett spinoff we all wanted, Han Solo's adventure will do just nicely as an appetizer. Either way, with Disney pulling the strings, I'm sure it will all turn out to be just as memorable as the first time we sat down as kids and journeyed to a galaxy, far, far, away.
Until then, let's just hope they finally show us exactly how the Millennium Falcon made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs when the new Han Solo film releases May 25th, 2018.
2. Sam Claflin
It's painful to admit, but I've read the Hunger Games series and find them very entertaining. The movies do a great service to the books, and I was very impressed with each casting choice in the sequel (and my favorite in the series) Catching Fire. That's where Sam Claflin fits in. He jumped into the role of Finnick Odair with ease, matching wits with Jennifer Lawrence's Katniss with charm, confidence, and attitude. Claflin can easily don the vest and blaster and ride side-by-side with Chewie.
3. Anthony Ingruber
Anthony Ingruber is someone you may have already heard of, but it's not because of his feature film works. He's the guy who created quite the online buzz because of his spot-on rendition of Han Solo's Cantina dialogue. If you haven't checked it out, we've got you covered…
Here's the best part about this video: Ingruber recorded it 7 years ago! Here's another little nugget: Ingruber has already played a young version of Harrison Ford's character in the recent romantic film Age of Adaline. So he's already got a one-up on everyone else in portraying a younger version of Ford.
The internet practically blew up this week when Lucasfilm dropped the intergalactic bomb that an upcoming Star Wars Anthology spinoff will center around the early days of everyone's favorite smuggler, Han Solo. A bold move, no doubt, but it's one that has us all intrigued at what's to come, especially since this is just what's likely the beginning of a series of Star Wars Anthology films.
Since this IS the internet, it's only right that we jump into the fray and throw in our own two-cents on who should play the new, younger version of Han.
It's important we take a few things into consideration. First, this is essentially a prequel of A New Hope. According to the studio, this new Han Solo story will focus on how Han became the smuggler, thief, and scoundrel whom Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan first encountered in the Cantina on Mos Eisley. Speaking of which, let's revisit that iconic scene, shall we?
It's cliché, but it feels like yesterday when I first saw Han take down Greedo (with the first shot) and boast about the Millennium Falcon. Anyway, using the timeline of when New Hope was released, Harrison Ford was a crisp 35 years old. Keeping that in mind, it's safe to assume this new spinoff will feature a Han Solo likely in his mid-to-late 20's.
It's also important to remember what makes Han such a fan-favorite. He encompasses everything you'd want out of a heroic character. He's confident, cocky, suave, cool, funny, and has a heart of gold buried underneath that rough exterior. It's not an easy character to portray, so we don't necessarily envy the actor who has to fill in those boots … but it can be done. Here's are list of five actors we'd like to see pilot the Millennium Falcon.
1. Taron Egerton
If you were lucky enough to see Kingsman: Secret Service in the theater, I salute you. I was fortunate enough to grab a Blu-ray copy recently and was completely floored by what I saw. Matthew Vaughn delivered a fun spy film that harkens back to the older, more upbeat, James Bond films. Adding to Vaughn's top-notch direction was relative newcomer Taron Egerton. This guy had it all. He was confident, fun, charming, and pulled off the action sequences with ease. He's more than capable of taking the mantle of the smuggler. Egerton has the acting chops to make this work as he was able to go toe-to-toe with some of the best actors in the business including Colin Firth, Michael Caine, and Samuel L. Jackson.
