Disney’s announcement in 2013 that it would be making a Star Wars film about Han Solo’s pre–New Hope adventures sparked all sorts of buzz and one big question: Who would play the celebrated smuggler hero? After a reportedly exhaustive casting search, we finally have our answer: Alden Ehrenreich.
Though he isn’t a household name just yet, in recent years Ehrenreich’s quietly built an impressive resume, appearing in Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine and in the Coen Brothers’ Hail, Caesar! His charmingly aloof performance as Hobie Doyle in the latter earned near-unanimous acclaim, even with critics divided on the film itself. Filmmakers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, The Lego Movie, 21 Jump Street) hope to use that same charisma to imbue Han Solo’s backstory with the swagger it deserves. It’ll be a narrow needle to thread, but never tell them the odds. The film is expected to hit theaters in 2018.
