Lucasfilm Is on the Hunt For Young Han Solo; 2,500 Actors Have Auditioned
Don't get cocky, kids! Lucasfilm and Disney are on a massive hunt to find the perfect actor to take on the role of a young Han Solo for the A Star Wars Story standalone film being developed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller.
The studio put out one of the biggest casting searches ever for the part, and according to THR, 2,500 actors have auditioned for the project so far. They've either met with casting directors or have sent in audition tapes to try and nab one of the most coveted movie roles ever.
Casting director Jeanne McCarthy is leading the charge on this mission to find the perfect young actor to put on the vest. She worked with Lord and Miller on casting the Jump Street movies. According to a casting agent in the industry:
"This has been the easiest movie to audition for. They are seeing everyone."
That's pretty cool for anyone who is interested in playing the part. This just follows the tradition of Lucasfilm casting virtually unknown actors in lead roles. Hell, Harrison Ford was a mostly unknown actor when he was cast in the role of Solo. Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Hayden Christiansen, Daisy Ridley... all unknown when they joined the Star Wars franchise. Here is a list of a few actors that have read for the role:
Actors who have read in person or auditioned via videotape range from the well-known (Dave Franco, 30, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, 25, and Miles Teller, 28) to the sort-of-known (Jurassic World's Nick Robinson, 20) to relative unknowns (Kickin' It's Leo Howard, 18, and The Purge's Tony Oller, 24) and also vary significantly in age. Though sources say the "sweet spot" seems to be the mid-20s, the ages of the contenders span from Chandler Riggs, the 16-year-old star of The Walking Dead, to Hunter Parrish, 28, and Mr. Robot star Rami Malek, 34.
Casting directors are not just focusing on American actors, either, considering Canadian Hemlock Grove star Landon Liboiron, 23, and English actors Ed Westwick, 28, Tom Felton, 28, and Joshua Sasse, 27, among many, many others.
Others who have thrown their hats in the ring include Fury's Logan Lerman, 23, The Fault in Our Stars' Ansel Elgort, 21, and Transformers: Age of Extinction's Jack Reynor, 23, plus TV faces like Teen Wolf's Colton Haynes, 27, and Bates Motel's Max Thieriot, 27.
There's a wide variety of actors there, and that just a few of thousands! It's said that they are looking for someone who looks "at least a bit like a young Ford and can be funny and charming as well as handle the expected action scenes." There are also a few young comedians that have have been asked to read for the part.
The script for the film is being written by Lawrence Kasdan and his son Jon. The project is being developed under the code name "Red Cup." The movie is scheduled to start production in January 2017 and is set for release on May 25th, 2018.
Lucasfilm has plenty of time to cast someone in the role, and with all of these actors auditioning, it will be really interesting to see who ends up playing the iconic character.