Young Han Solo movie: Taron Egerton, Alden Ehrenreich among favourites for lead role

Looks like Disney and Lucasfilm are getting closer to finding an actor who can successfully bring a younger version of Harrison Ford's iconic Star Wars character Han Solo to the big screen ahead of their franchise spin-off. The performers said to be at the top of the studio's want-list reportedly include Kingsman: The Secret Service star Taron Egerton and Hail, Caesar!'s Alden Ehrenreich. Jack Reynor, known best for his performance in Transformers instalment Age Of Extinction also took part in costume and screen tests carried out in London recently, ahead of potentially bagging the extremely coveted role.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the trio were part of a longer list of actors who were being discussed when it came to the part. Those previous names included Whiplash star Miles Teller, The Fault In Our Stars' Ansel Elgort and Emory Cohen, seen last in the Oscar-nominated romance drama Brooklyn.

While the casting may be far from complete, fans were treated to a bit of concrete information about the young Solo project earlier this month when it was revealed by Disney CEO Bob Iger that Chewbacca, Solo's faithful wookie companion from the entire franchise, would be featuring in the movie. The news follows months of fan speculation as to whether he would appear and whether the story would focus on the pair's origins to some extent. The latest script for the Han Solo movie has been penned by The Empire Strikes Back screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan and his son Jon.

Meanwhile, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens is set for a UK home entertainment release on 18 April 2016; Rogue One: A Star Wars Story hits both US and UK cinemas on 16 December 2016, Star Wars: Episode VIII on 15 December 2017, and the Han Solo film on 25 May 2018. Star Wars: Episode IX is expected to reach theatres in December 2019, followed by the third Star Wars anthology film in 2020.

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