Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Entertainment
  3. News

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

It’s official: Alden Ehrenreich is our young Han Solo

By

alden ehrenreich
Universal Pictures
The galaxy’s most famous (and scruffy-looking) nerf-herder has a new face.

After a previous report indicated — unofficially, of course — that Hail, Caesar! actor Alden Ehrenreich would play Han Solo in the upcoming Star Wars spinoff film that will explore the iconic character’s early years, Walt Disney Studios and Lucasfilm have now officially announced Ehrenreich as the project’s star. The actor was confirmed as the new, younger version of Han Solo during the Star Wars Celebration convention over the weekend in London.

Recommended Videos

Back in May, Deadline reported that Ehrenreich won the role over Kingsman: The Secret Service star Taron Egerton and Transformers: Age of Extinction actor Jack Reynor (among other actors), and was likely to be officially announced as the young Han Solo in the near future.

Related

Little is known about the plot of the upcoming film, which will offer a peek at how Han Solo became one of the galaxy’s greatest smugglers (according to him, at least). It’s also expected to chronicle how Han met Chewbacca, his Wookiee co-pilot and longtime friend and partner. Chewbacca was also confirmed to have a featured role in the film.

The Lego Movie and 21 Jump Street filmmakers Phil Lord and Chris Miller are directing the Han Solo spinoff movie from a script penned by The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan and his son, Jon Kasdan. Miller honored Star Wars Day on May 4 by posting a photo of Han Solo’s famous handgun (the one that absolutely, positively shot first) on Twitter.

“Can’t wait to get ‘shooting’! #MayThe4thBeWithYou,” reads the photo’s caption.

Can't wait to get "shooting"!#MayThe4thBeWithYou pic.twitter.com/HlteYut6m0

— Christopher Miller (@chrizmillr) May 4, 2016

The Han Solo movie has yet to receive an official title, but it’s scheduled to hit theaters May 25, 2018. Between now and then, fans will be able to see Rogue One: A Star Wars Story on December 16 this year, then Star Wars: Episode VIII on December 15, 2017.

Updated on 07-18-2016 by Rick Marshall: Added news of Disney and Lucasfilm’s official confirmation.

Article originally published on 05-06-2016.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Rick Marshall
Rick Marshall
Former Digital Trends Contributor
A veteran journalist with more than two decades of experience covering local and national news, arts and entertainment, and…
Did Han or Greedo shoot first? New Disney+ edit of Star Wars makes it less clear
han solo in star wars a new hope

Eagle-eyed Star Wars viewers have noticed that the version of Star Wars: Episode IV -- A New Hope on Disney+ has been edited once again, making yet another revision to one of the first Star Wars movie’s most controversial scenes.

The classic showdown between Han Solo and the bounty hunter Greedo in the Mos Eisley cantina features a couple of new shots, contains one new line of untranslated dialogue from Greedo, and, most importantly, now has Han and Greedo fire their blasters on the same frame, making the two attacks simultaneous.

Read more
The best animated movies on Netflix right now
A cat points a bat at another cat in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.

While Nimona has been the big Netflix original animated film of the summer, it's far from the only addition to the lineup. Netflix is making sure that animation fans are well served in August with the first two Despicable Me movies, Bee Movie, and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2. However, Netflix's biggest recent addition is one of 2022's biggest animated hits: DreamWorks' Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.

Netflix's deals with Sony Pictures Animation, DreamWorks Animation, and Universal Pictures have given it a powerhouse library of animated films. And that's before we even get into Netflix's impressive originals like The Sea Beast. To help you keep track of what's new and what you can stream right now, we've updated our list of the best animated movies on Netflix.

Read more
From Barbarella to Howard the Duck: the 7 cheesiest sci-fi movies ever
Howard the Duck in "Howard the Duck."

The science-fiction genre has a vast smorgasbord of cheesy films stretching way back to the early days of cinema. Such pictures are known for their weird stories, unrealistic dialogue, low-budget productions, and exaggerated acting.

While many of these films have been panned by critics and audiences alike, some of them have garnered success for being "so bad, they're good." Whether or not they have been held up by a dedicated fan base, these seven movies stand out as the cream of the cheesy sci-fi crop.
Flash Gordon (1980)

Read more