By Travis Johnson
Literally thousands of young actors were auditioned for the role of the young Han Solo in the upcoming spin-off (don’t say prequel) heading out way from Disney/Lucasfilm. Name a young guy in Hollywood who vaguely fits the physical description, and it’s guaranteed he was in the conversation.
Well, now the conversation is over! Alden Ehrenreich, who damn near walked away with the Coens’ Hail Caesar!, stealing the show from a veritable rogues gallery of better known faces, is the man with the stripe down his pants. For a young dude, Ehrenreich has an impressive CV; discovered by Speilberg, he’s worked with Coppolas Francis and Sofia, Chan-Wook Park, Woody Allen and the aforementioned Coens before landing what is one of the most sought-after roles in living memory.
Plot details remain unknown, although something involving winning the Millennium Falcon in a card game and rescuing Chewbacca from slavery is a safe bet. The as-yet-untitled movie is currently in pre-production, with a release slated for 25 May, 2018.
