The past summer was chock full of awesome Star Wars bombshells, but arguably nothing felt quite as massive as the announcement that Alden Ehrenreich will replace Harrison Ford as Han Solo in Phil Lord and Chris Miller's upcoming Han Solo movie. It's a big moment for the history of the Star Wars franchise, and it's apparently something nobody has taken lightly. In fact, Ehrenreich was put through the wringer before he was allowed to finally don the iconic Han Solo vest.
During a recent interview with USA Today, Chris Miller opened up regarding the casting process for the Han Solo spin-off movie, and elaborated on the decision to ultimately grant the role to Alden Ehrenreich. He even went to far as to compare it to an Olympic track and field event. Although Ehrenreich was first genuine contender to audition for the part, Phil Lord and Chris Miller rigorously tested the young actor (and spent plenty of Disney's money in the process) in order to be absolutely certain that he was actually the right guy for the job. Miller explained to the paper,
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.
To say that Alden Ehrenreich faced some seriously stiff competition for the part of Han Solo would be an understatement to say the least. Although he's a stellar up-and-comer in the Hollywood scene, he had to go up against some of the most highly regarded and talented actors of his generation -- ranging from Miles Teller to Jack O'Connell. The fact that Phil Lord and Chris Miller chose him against that sizable roster of talent to play Han Solo in a new Star Wars film should really instill quite a bit of confidence in his ability to truly channel the iconic scoundrel.
As if auditioning for the part of Han Solo against a sea of talented actors wasn't intimidating enough, Alden Ehrenreich recently also revealed the lengths that Phil Lord and Chris Miller went to in order to ensure that he could properly fill out the role. Not only did they have the Hail Caesar! star read for the part, but they also had him audition for the role by sitting in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon with his trusty Wookie companion, Chewbacca, right next to him. That's about as authentic as an audition for a Star Wars movie will ever get, and one could imagine it being crazy intimidating.
We will keep you posted with all of the latest news pertaining to the Han Solo standalone film as more information becomes available to us. The first Star Wars standalone movie, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, will hit theaters later this year on December 16th.
