Work continues on one of the upcoming Star Wars spinoffs centered on a young Han Solo, and Lucasfilm is seemingly considering everyone in Hollywood for the part.
The Hollywood Reporter says the studio has cast a wide net to figure out who can take on the role made famous by Harrison Ford. More than 2,500 actors between the ages of 18 and 32 have “met on the project or put themselves on tape,” with the “sweet spot” of the age rage being around the mid-20s. The studio is looking for someone who “can be funny and charming as well as handle the expected action scenes.”
Of those 2,500: Dave Franco (21 Jump Street, Now You See Me), Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick-Ass, Godzilla), Miles Teller (Divergent, Fantastic Four), Leo Howard (Kickin’ It), Tony Oller (The Purge), Chandler Riggs (The Walking Dead), Hunter Parrish (Weeds), Rami Malek (Mr. Robot), Landon Lioboiron (Hemlock Grove), Ed Westwick (Gossip Girl), Tom Felton (Harry Potter), Joshua Sasse (Galavant), Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson, Perks of Being a Wallflower), Ansel Elgort (The Fault in Our Stars), Jack Reynor (Transformers: Age of Extinction), Colton Haynes (Arrow), and Max Theiriot (Jumper).
Like any highly-coveted job, the chances of any one of these actors getting the gig are slim. Filming isn’t expected to begin until January 2017, so Disney and Lucasfilm are taking their time in whittling down the pool of actors to find just the right person.
We understand why so many people are trying to get this role despite the slim chances: If you get the Han Solo gig, you’re set for life. Oh, and it’s an iconic character.
The Han Solo spinoff will be directed by LEGO Movie helmers Phil Lord and Chris Miller and is set for a May 25, 2018 release.
“This is the first film we’ve worked on that seems like a good idea to begin with,” the directors said in a statement in July. “We promise to take risks, to give the audience a fresh experience, and we pledge ourselves to be faithful stewards of these characters who mean so much to us. This is a dream come true for us. And not the kind of dream where you’re late for work and all your clothes are made of pudding, but the kind of dream where you get to make a film with some of the greatest characters ever, in a film franchise you’ve loved since before you can remember having dreams at all.”