It's only fitting that on a day where Disney and Lucasfilm announce Harrison Ford and Steven Spielberg will be teaming up for a fifth Indiana Jones adventure the dam is about to burst on their big young Han Solo project.
The field of candidates has been slimmed down with only a handful of names remaining under consideration to take the role of the beloved smuggler popularized by the aforementioned Ford, this time as shown in his earlier years.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, several actors were called to London last week in order to test for the role, forming the foundation for a shortlist directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller are eyeing right now, but hardly the whole list. The names that have leaked from these secret sessions are Alden Ehrenreich, Jack Reynor and Taron Egerton. In checking with my sources, I have been told that both Miles Teller and Dave Franco remain in the running as well, as Disney, Lucasfilm, Lord and Miller all come together and try to nail the best choice for such a major decision.
After all, this isn't your typical process. This is finding someone who can follow in the shoes of Harrison Ford as Han Solo, which is not an easy task for anyone, given how reluctant fans are to change when it comes to certain characters and brands. You need to find someone who can embody the very spirit of Han Solo, but you also don't want to find someone who is going to step into Han Solo and try to do their best Harrison Ford impression. You need someone who is close but not too close. Good luck striking that balance.
There still may remain some options for Han Solo that remain under the shroud of mystery as this is a process that, as widespread as the search was, has been played extremely close to the vest to this point. But people are talking… talking 'bout people… and it's only a matter of time before word gets out about who the next Han Solo will be. We're certainly getting close.