Harrison Ford may be considered irreplaceable when it comes to Indiana Jones, but with Phil Lord and Chris Miller cooking up a Star Wars prequel film, there will come a time when the actor has to pass on the vest and blaster to a young Han Solo.
With a tentative May 25, 2018 release date in place, sources close to the project tell The Hollywood Reporter that Disney is searching far and wide for the right young actor to assume the role, with everyone from Aaron Taylor-Johnson to Mr. Robot‘s Rami Malek lining the purported shortlist. In fact, it’s said that the open nature of the screening process means that a staggering 2,500 actors have submitted their pitch, be that in the form of a personal recording or meeting with Disney and Lucasfilm directly.
Production isn’t set to get underway until January of 2017, meaning that those involved in the casting process are evidently hunkering down for the exhaustive task of whittling down the candidates. Of those known to be in contention for the part, THR writes that the shortlist includes Dave Franco, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Miles Teller, Logan Lerman, Ansel Elgort, Nick Robinson, Leo Howard, Tony Oller, Tom Felton, Jack Reynor, Colton Haynes, Max Thieriot and Chandler Riggs, along with the aforementioned Malek.
That’s assuming that Disney will hone in on a known quantity or, on the other hand, cast a relative unknown. It’s worth pointing out that Ford was 35 when A New Hope released in ’77, which means that the alleged sweet spot for the star role in Lord and Miller’s offshoot is pegged in the mid-20s.
With the casting search seemingly beginning to intensify, we expect that Phil Lord and Chris Miller have begun to map out an origins tale for the loveable scoundrel. Even still, considering that the Han Solo Anthology movie isn’t due until May 25, 2018, it will be some time quiet before anything is made official.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens, meanwhile, will have Harrison Ford reprise his role as the charming smuggler on December 18.
