After Rogue One: A Star Wars Story this year and Star Wars: Episode 8 in 2017, the next movie in the forever-saga of the Disney Star Wars future will be 2018’s untitled Han Solo movie, which has been in-development with directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller (The Lego Movie, 22 Jump Street) and screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan (Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back).
Now Lord and Miller have surfaced with an update on the casting process, while new casting news from London narrows on a female lead for the Han Solo adventure.
Speaking with USA Today about their shows, The Last Man on Earth and Son of Zon, Lord and Miller described why they picked Alden Ehrenreich (Hail, Caesar!), the very first actor to audition for the role of Han Solo at the beginning of a grueling, worldwide casting process:
“That guy pretty much went through an audition pentathlon; it was like an acting steeplechase. He went against a lot of very strong competitors and was very consistently the guy from minute one. He was the first person who auditioned out of thousands, and just out of the box, made you believe that someday he'd grow into the character we know.”
Meanwhile, the casting process for the female lead in the movie leaked to Variety, which reports that three actresses are in London for final screen tests: Tessa Thompson (Creed), Naomi Scott (Power Rangers lol) and Zoe Kravitz (Mad Max: Fury Road).
Speculation is widespread that the role may be for Sana Starros, a character from the Marvel Star Wars comics who showed up claiming to be Han Solo’s wife. It’s soon revealed that while Solo and Starros pretended to be married, it was only to pull off a heist. Han Solo ran off with the proceeds and Starros chased him across the galaxy.
If Thompson, Scott and Kravitz are indeed competing to play Sana Starros it would be a rare example of comics continuity carrying over into the Star Wars movies, rather than vice-versa.
The Han Solo movie will be out in theaters May 25, 2018.
