Possible Young Han Solo Actors Narrowed Down to These Three - Report

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the search for an actor to play a young Han Solo in the 2018 Star Wars spinoff has been narrowed down to three names. The Hollywood news site reports that the search is in its "final stages," with Alden Ehrenreich (Hail Caesar!), Jack Reynor (Transformers: Age of Extinction), and Taron Egerton (Kingsmen: The Secret Service) named the frontrunners for the highly sought-after role.

Sources told the site that there "could be a few other names on the list." These were not divulged and Disney said it had no comment. Additionally, it's unclear if all of the actors who auditioned were asked to do costume or screen tests--or both.

According to a previous report, "thousands" of hopeful actors were screened before the list was winnowed down to a list of a dozen that also included people like Miles Teller (Whiplash), Ansel Elgort, (Insurgent,The Fault in Our Stars), Dave Franco (21 Jump Street), Scott Eastwood (Gran Torino, Fury), Logan Lerman (3:10 to Yuma, Fury), Emory Cohen (Brooklyn, The Place Beyond the Pines), and Blake Jenner (Glee).

The spinoff is centered around the exploits of a young Solo. Filming for the 2018 movie is still a year away, but a decision about the lead actor could reportedly be made soon, as Solo could appear in this year's Star Wars spinoff, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. That movie, the first in the Star Wars Anthology series, comes out this December and is set between Episode III and IV.

The Han Solo prequel film does not yet have a name, but it does have a release date: May 25, 2018. Chewbacca will also appear in the movie, and it will be followed by Episode IX in 2019. There are also reports of a movie starring Boba Fett coming in 2020, but that remains unconfirmed.

The Han Solo movie is to be directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, best known for The Lego Movie and the Jump Street films. It is written by Star Wars veteran Lawrence Kasdan and his son Jon.

Last year, Kasdan spoke about his approach to the movie's story. "It will not be, 'Here's where [Solo] was born and this is how he was raised'," he said, during during a Q&A to promote The Force Awakens. "I think what it will be is what was he like 10 years earlier--maybe a little earlier. You'll get a glimpse."

This story has been updated