Disney has kept the casting for the upcoming Han Solo-focused Star Wars anthology film under as tight of wraps as possible. But we live in the Internet age, and it’s damn near impossible to keep a secret totally secret. Yesterday, Deadline learned from “sources with knowledge of the casting process” that the Alden Ehrenreich has emerged as the frontrunner to play the most famous space smuggler in history.
The 26-year-old Ehrenreich is one of a small handful of young actors who were known to be screen testing for the role; others included Taron Egerton and Jack Reynor. Discovered by Steven Spielberg, the Los Angeles native has appeared in a couple of Francis Ford Coppola films and Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine. Ehrenreich’s most notable role thus far, though, is that of airheaded cowboy Hobie Doyle in the Coen Brothers’ film Hail, Caesar!, a otherwise middling film in which his performance really impressed us. He’s also set to star in Warren Beatty’s upcoming, as-yet-untitled film about Howard Hughes.
The Han Solo film is set for a May 2018 release. We’ll have more updates for you as this story unfolds.