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11th August 2016 - Casting Young Lando Calrissian
Han Solo is getting a gambling buddy — his standalone “Star Wars” spinoff film is casting a young Lando Calrissian.
Fans have speculated about which of the characters from Solo’s complicated past might turn up in “Han Solo,” and now we know at least one. The Cloud City cassanova was originally played by Billy Dee Williams, and the current code name in casting circles for young Lando is “Chance” — perhaps a reference to the character’s appreciation of cards and dice.
Though we met Lando in “The Empire Strikes Back” — in which Darth Vader forced him to betray Han, Leia, Chewbacca and C-3PO when they turned up at Cloud City — he has a long history with Solo that we may see parts of in the new standalone film. Lando famously lost the Millennium Falcon to Solo in a game called sabacc — though he got to fly it again in “Return of the Jedi.”
The “Han Solo” solo film is being directed by “Lego Movie” and “Jump Street” team Phil Lord and Chris Miller. Reps for Lucasfilm declined to comment.
Source:
The Wrap
5th May 2016 - Alden Ehrenreich Cast as Han Solo
The Millenium Falcon has a new pilot.
Phil Lord and Chris Miller have found their Han Solo.
Alden Ehrenreich will don the vest and pick up the blaster for the Star Wars standalone, according to sources, which centers on a younger version of the franchise favorite.
Following an exhaustive search, where 2,500 young men met for the project, a trio of Han hopefuls ended up on the finalist list, including Hail, Caesar!'s Ehrenreich, Kingsman actor Taron Egerton and Transformers: Age of Extinction's Jack Reynor. Miles Teller, Ansel Elgort and Brooklyn breakout Emory Cohen were among those on the shortlist in earlier rounds.
Just as Ford has his own starting-out legend (he was cast as Solo after doing line readings with the actors who were actually auditioning for the movie and his sarcasm due to not being considered for the part seeped through, winning over Lucas), Ehrenreich too has a colorful discovery tale: Steven Spielberg saw the boy in a bar mitzvah video. His antics impressed the filmmaker, which led to open doors. After a couple of television appearances, he made his feature debut with Francis Ford Coppola's 2009 film, Tetro.
Source:
The Hollywood Reporter
13th April 2016 - Alden Ehrenreich Emerges As Front-Runner For Han Solo Film
After screens tests that narrowed down the field of possible actors portraying Han Solo for the stand-alone movie in the Star Wars universe, Alden Ehrenreich has emerged as the front-runner for the coveted role. The casting of this character has been shrouded in secrecy — to the point of it being referred to as project Red Cup (get it? Solo cups). After screen tests, it was narrowed down to only a handful of actors that included Taron Egerton and Jack Reynor. However, sources with knowledge of the casting process, said that Ehrenreich is now leading the pack after after an impressive performance.
The newcomer is also the lead in Warren Beatty’s yet untitled “Howard Hughes project” which will receive a fall release from Fox this year. The 26 year-old actor also gave a stand-out performance this year in Hail, Caesar!
The Han Solo film, which Disney is slating for release on May 25th, 2018, will be directed The Lego Movie team of by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. The picture will focus on Solo’s days before he linked up with the rebel alliance. Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy is producing. Lawrence Kasdan is exec producing with Jason McGatlin. Kasdan — who wrote Star Wars pics The Empire Strikes Back, Return Of The Jedi and The Force Awakens — scripted the new pic with his son Jon Kasdan.
Disney did not return an email seeking comment. CAA, who reps Ehrenreich, would not comment either. Like we said, this casting is being guarded like it’s a matter of national security.
Source:
Deadline
12th January 2016 - Actor Shortlist Confirmed
Sources tell Variety that after seeing thousands of actors, execs have cut the list down to about a dozen actors with Miles Teller, Ansel Elgort, Dave Franco, Jack Reynor, Scott Eastwood, Logan Lerman, “Brooklyn” star Emory Cohen and “Everybody Wants Some” actor Blake Jenner among the names making the cut.
NDAs and test deals are still being worked out, but producer Kathleen Kennedy and directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller will begin testing the new group with a decision expected in the next couple of weeks.
The film does not shoot until next January, but sources close to the situation say the reason for such an early decision has more to do with another “Star Wars” film currently shooting, rather than the untitled “Han Solo” pic. While insiders were unable to confirm, the new Solo could have a small cameo in “Rogue One: A Star Wars” before appearing in his own standalone pic.
With the exception of Eastwood, who’s 29, Disney and Lucasfilm seem to be zeroing in on actors between the ages of 20 to 25. The studios tested actors as young as 17 to as old as 34.
Source:
Variety
7th July 2015 - Christopher Miller And Phil Lord To Helm Han Solo Anthology Film
The next adventure in the Anthology series of Star Wars films will be directed by Christopher Miller and Phil Lord, whose credits include the critically acclaimed The LEGO Movie and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, as well as 21 Jump Street and 22 Jump Street. Among the most sought-after filmmakers working today, the two have proven a formidable duo on the multiple films they’ve collaborated on and are looking forward to applying their unique creative chemistry to the Star Wars universe.
“This is the first film we’ve worked on that seems like a good idea to begin with. 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.”
The screenplay is written by Lawrence Kasdan and Jon Kasdan. The story focuses on how young Han Solo became the smuggler, thief, and scoundrel whom Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi first encountered in the cantina at Mos Eisley.
Source:
Star Wars
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