Alden Ehrenreich Selected To Head Han Solo Trilogy In ‘Star Wars’ Spin-Off


Star Wars and its offshoot films are one of the biggest franchises currently prospering in Hollywood, so it seems to make sense that Disney would be doing everything possible to capitalize on the Star Wars name. Taking one more step toward building that franchise up, Walt Disney Studios is working towards producing a Han Solo prequel trilogy in which the exploits of the scoundrel and smuggler Han Solo, formerly played by Harrison Ford throughout the Star Wars saga, will be told through new eyes. Disney has already cast Alden Ehrenreich to pick up the mantle from Ford and play a younger Han Solo in the upcoming spin-off trilogy.

Han Solo Trilogy To Give An Entirely New Look To The Star Wars Universe

We’re not looking at a traditional Star Wars story when it comes to the planned Han Solo trilogy, reports New York Daily News, because this will be a Han Solo story and not necessarily linked to the battle against the Empire. Fans will recall that the Han Solo character doesn’t get pulled into the Star Wars saga until he meets up with Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and a couple of charming droids, which means epic battles between the rebels and the empire won’t be standard fare in this trilogy. Nor is the younger Han Solo likely to have much interaction with Jedi Knights.

“There is a real sense of excitement around the Han Solo movie and its potential,” an insider told the New York Daily News. “Given that Han’s early adventures do not need to be tied to the Empire, it leaves story lines open with the opportunity to really give fans something different. They can explore new galaxies and crazy creatures and bring in a wide array of new characters.”

Instead, Disney is hoping that they can turn the Han Solo character into a franchise of his own, much in the same way Marvel has created franchises for individual superheroes, while also featuring those same characters The Avengers, which casts story arcs of a much larger scope. In the case of Star Wars and Han Solo, Disney would be doing much the same thing, but in reverse order.

“They feel that his character has the right potential to become a central figure in several movies. They’re keeping things under wraps at the moment, but the deal is that he has signed for at least three movies.”

Little is known as far as a plot, except that it’s being written by Lawrence Kasdan and his son Jake. Kasdan wrote the screenplays for The Empire Strikes Back and for Return of the Jedi.

Meet The New Han Solo: Alden Ehrenreich

Ehrenreich is known for comedies, such as his work in Hail, Caesar! (2016) and Beautiful Creatures (2013), but he will soon earn fame as the new face of Han Solo, if Disney’s hopes for the planned trilogy come to fruition. As such, Star Wars fans may be eager to learn more about Alden before they decide if the actor is worthy of taking up the mantel from Harrison Ford and, thanks to CNN, we have a few factoids gathered together about the man who would play Captain Solo.

To start off, Ehrenreich really devotes himself to his roles, seeking to experience his characters’ lives through real life experiences. As proof, Alden revealed just what he did, the moment he learned he’d been awarded the role of Hobie Doyle in Hail Caesar!

“As soon as I got the part I was doing horseback riding, trick roping, gun twirling, guitar,” Ehrenreich said. “And the spaghetti lasso, which was the hardest.”

Also, the future Han Solo star credits his launch to Hollywood stardom to Steven Spielberg. According to Alden, he had appeared in a bat mitzvah video, in which Ehrenreich, among others, would just perform impromptu sketches, dances, and sing-a-longs. Spielberg happened to see the video and liked what he saw of Ehrenreich’s performances. Before long, Alden was getting guest spots on shows like CSI and Supernatural.

While Ehrenreich may not be a fan of Star Wars specifically, the rising star does reveal that he has always been a big fan of classic Hollywood and admits that being on set gives him a thrill for that reason. Alden says it makes him feel like he’s a part of that bygone era.

“For me, the drive is storytelling,” Ehrenreich says of acting. “To be a part of an art that tells a story and to be a catalyst, a color in that, is very exciting.”

The first Han Solo film is expected to hit theaters on May 25, 2018.

[Photo by Ben A. Pruchnie/Getty Images for Walt Disney Studios]

Share this article: Alden Ehrenreich Selected To Head Han Solo Trilogy In ‘Star Wars’ Spin-Off
More from Inquisitr