Alden Ehrenreich Officially Introduced As The New HAN SOLO; Production Expected To Start Early 2017
Even though it's been known for a while, Hail, Caesar! breakout Alden Ehrenreich was officially confirmed & introduced as the new Han Solo at Star Wars Celebration Europe. Updated with video!
Source: Walt Disney Studios
The secret is finally out: Alden Ehrenreich is your new Han Solo!
Walt Disney Studios officially announced the casting earlier today when they introduced Ehrenreich to a massive audience at Star Wars Celebration Europe. He was then joined on stage by directors Phil Lord & Chris Miller, who hilariously revealed to the crowd that despite auditioning over 3,000 different actors for the role, Ehrenreich was literally the very first person they ever sat down with.
It's still very early, so no fellow cast members or characters were revealed, but one thing we do know is that Han's trusy co-pilot Chewy will definitely be appearing. Ehrenreich shared the news while discussing the extensive casting process: "I read the sides and I loved them. I auditioned for six months. The coolest part was I went on the Falcon for a chemistry test with Chewbacca. It was unbelievable. It was more exciting than nerve-racking.”
Miller & Lord remained fairly coy when asked to share details about the film, but they did divulge that they had recently moved to London to begin prep and are hoping for a January, possibly February 2017 start date. The directing duo are currently hard at work penning the script alongside Lawrence & Jon Kasdan.
The film is expected to hit theaters May 25, 2018.
UPDATE: Here's video of the announcement and the Star Wars: Episode VIII panel, courtesy of our friends over at Flicks And The City:
Plus, here are some photos: