We recently learned that producer and screenwriter Larry Kasdan‘s (Empire Strikes Back, Force Awakens) last writing gig in the Star Wars universe would indeed be Han Solo: A Star Wars Story, the standalone feature that will focus on the young smuggler. While speaking with Empire (via ThePlaylist), Kasdan confirmed the film’s timeline, which is set ten years before the events of the original film.
“It will not be here’s where he was born and this is how he was raised. I think what it will be is, what was he like 10 years earlier, maybe a little earlier, you’ll get a glimpse. But Kurosawa once said the heroes are the ones that are still changing and the villains are locked and petrified into what they are. And Harrison embodies in ‘Force Awakens’ someone who is still not settled on who he is.”
If we take this as gospel Han would be in his mid to late 20’s in this standalone. Lucasfilm would obviously be looking at actors between the ages of 20-29 to play the role, not to mention have a potential history of comedic and action roles. The comedic aspect shouldn’t be surprising with 21 Jump Street directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller handling the the production, there should be an expected level of humor thrown into the mix considering Han is a total smartass.
You might remember Kingsman actor Taron Edgerton (pictured as Han Solo in the header image) had been linked early last year for the role of young Han Solo, the actor just happens to be 26 (the right age-range for the role). This doesn’t mean too much, as we also pointed out thousands of actors have tested for the part. Yet, he makes a lot of sense considering his action-comedy chops, and looking a lot a young Harrison Ford.
The studio has been hiring many Brits for lead roles, because of the productions taking place in England and their are perks of hiring actors in the country where the stages are setup. Daisy Ridley, Felicity Jones, John Boyega, and potentially Episode VIII actresses Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Bel Powley are all British hires, it’s trend I don’t expect to slow down anytime soon. As much as people want to see an American to play the role, but Lucafilm likely won’t go that route.
SOURCE: EMPIRE