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Alden Ehrenreich to play young Han Solo in Star Wars prequel film

Disney has finally found their leading man

Christopher Hooton

Friday 06 May 2016 08:20 BST

Ehrenreich as Hobie Doyle in Hail, Caesar!

After a lengthy search and many rumoured short lists, Disney and LucasFilm have found their Han Solo in the form of Hail, Caesar! actor Alden Ehrenreich.

Deadline first reported the news, which has since been verified by Variety.

The 26-year-old is best known for the Coen brothers' film, which underperformed at the box office but was a breakout hit for Ehrenreich (you can read our interview with him here).

He also appeared in Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine and psychological horror thriller Stoker, possessing a youthful charm that will lend itself well to playing the intergalactic smuggler.

Every lightsaber in Star Wars history (films)

Show all 12

1/12Every lightsaber in Star Wars history (films)

Every lightsaber in Star Wars history (films)

General Grievous

The general played a big part in the Clone Wars, collecting dead Jedi's lightsaber's along the way and using them to do a crazy spin-attack. Unfortunately, they all get cut off by Obi-Wan just a little too quickly.

Every lightsaber in Star Wars history (films)

Qui-Gon Jinn

Obi-Wan's master really didn't have too much time on screen, but his battles with Darth Maul will go down as some of the best in Star Wars history.

Every lightsaber in Star Wars history (films)

The Emperor

It was a little weird seeing The Emperor, at this stage Palpatine, getting out a lightsaber and battling Jedi. Much better when just using Force lightning!

Every lightsaber in Star Wars history (films)

Anakin Skywalker/Luke Skywalker/Finn

Now, this one really does have some history, travelling down the generations of Skywalkers, and briefly using by Finn in The Force Awakens. Of course, **Spoiler** someone else also uses the saber after it calls to them, could they be a Skywalker to?

Every lightsaber in Star Wars history (films)

Darth Vader

The first red-lightsaber we ever saw on screen: the definition of evil and an iconic weapon.

Every lightsaber in Star Wars history (films)

Yoda

Again, a little odd seeing a character from the Original Trilogy using a saber, especially when he was jumping around after putting down his walking cane. Ah well, doesn't stop Yoda being a brilliant mentor to Luke.

Every lightsaber in Star Wars history (films)

Mace Windu

Samuel L. Jackson managed to someone get George Lucas to give him a purple lightsaber, just to stand out from the rest of the crowd. That's one bad*ss motherlightsaber.

Every lightsaber in Star Wars history (films)

Obi-Wan

Sure, Obi-Wan managed to lose his saber on countless occasions throughout the prequels, but at least he had it in A New Hope when going against Vader. Because that went well...

Every lightsaber in Star Wars history (films)

Darth Maul

Maul's double ended lightsaber may have been the best thing about Phantom Menace. Scratch that, he was the best thing about that film! The last battle between Maul, Jinn and Obi-Wan was phenomenal, just a shame Maul didn't last until the next film (of course, he came back in The Clone Wars TV show, but that will take a little too long to explain here)

Every lightsaber in Star Wars history (films)

Kylo Ren

At first, the cross lightsaber was mocked by the Internet for being impractical. Yet, when seen in the movie, it's ferocious, spitting out light due to be unstable, much like it's master.

Every lightsaber in Star Wars history (films)

Count Dooku

Now, Dooku's character wasn't in the films for very long, feeling hugely underutilised, especially considering it was the great Christopher Lee, who took on the role as he was a trained fencer. It was still hugely impressive for an 80-year-old to be the best sword fighter in the galaxy.

Every lightsaber in Star Wars history (films)

Luke Skywalker

Luke's second saber, after the one he inherited from his father, was originally going to be blue as well. Yet, due to not standing out against the Tatooine landscape, it was changed to green - which is why in early posters his saber is blue.

The Lego Movie's Phil Lord and Chris Miller are directing the as-yet-untitled spin-off, the latter posting the first photo from the set yesterday.

We don't have any plot details yet, though screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan has promised that it will be more than just an origin story.

Ehrenreich was joined on the original short list for the part by Jack Reynor, Taron Egerton and Emory Cohen.

The Han Solo prequel will open in cinemas on 25 May, 2018, coming after this year’s Rogue One spin-off, next year’s Star Wars 8 sequel and 2019’s Star Wars 9 trilogy ender.

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