The 26-year-old promising actor will portray Harrison Ford’s mythical bounty hunter on the new installment of Star Wars. The announcement was made on a panel starring cast and creatives behind the saga’s new film, Star Wars: Episode VIII. There are also plans to shoot a Han Solo movie.

Ehrenreich attended the panel alongside Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher. Directors Phil Lord ad Chris Miller were also present at the time of the announcement. Details about the new movies were scarce, but Rian Johnson assured that Episode VIII is set to continue the events immediately after those of Episode VII.

The next Star Wars movie franchise will have the young Alden Ehrenreich portraying Harrison Ford’s classic character Han Solo. Image Credit: Film Junkee

The script is still in the works, as stated by Lord and Miller, they expect to have a consistent draft within six months.

A promising future star

Alden Ehrenreich jumped to the public eye after appearing in the Coen brother’s Hollywood film Hail, Caesar! Alongside Scarlett Johansson and George Clooney. The panel where the announcements were made was streamed through StarWars.com.

Ehrenreich commented that the auditions lasted almost six months, where at least 3,000 people tried out for the available parts as producers “turned over every rock to find someone who has the charisma and magic swagger.” He confessed that his favorite moment was sitting on Han Solo’s Millenium Falcon alongside the Wookie Star, Chewbacca. According to Chris Miller, the audition process was a wasted effort due to Ehrenreich being the first person to walk through the door to audition.

According to People magazine, Ehrenreich was discovered by Steven Spielberg in a film played at a Bar Mitzvah when he was only 14 years old. Spielberg saw him and reached a Dreamworks casting director to get in touch with him. Thanks to Spielberg, he appeared on Supernatural and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Ehrenreich debuted in films at Francis Ford Coppola’s 2009 piece Tetro, as Bennie, receiving many favorable reviews. Coppola recruited Ehrenreich for Twixt, where he worked with Natalie Portman. He also appeared on Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine in 2013, alongside Cate Blanchett.

Alden Ehrenreich was born in Los Angeles from a Jewish family. His parents were passionate about film-making and, according to the New York Times, he grew up watching “a lot of movies.” He attended Palisades Elementary School in Los Angeles and moved onto Crossroads School in Santa Monica. He studied acting at New York University but did not earn his degree. He founded a collaborative effort of actors, producers, and writers named “The Collectin” along fellow actress Zoë Worth in NewYork.

Rian Johnson believes that Episode VIII will break a Star Wars tradition by following the events of the previous film.

Filming for Han Solo’s film is set to start in England on 2017. Episode VIII is to be released in theaters on December 15, 2017. There is still no information regarding the title of Episode VIII, but the film is to be showcased in Celebration in Orlando 2017, on mid-April. Episode VIII will also commemorate the 40th anniversary of the first Star Wars film.

Source: USA Today