'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' News: Upcoming Film to Have a Han Solo Cameo?
With "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" releasing in less than a year, it appears like the team behind the movie is making some last-minute casting. According to multiple reports, Disney and Lucasfilm are searching for a "young Han Solo" who may appear in another "Star Wars" film that's hitting theaters in December.
Entertainment publication Variety has been tipped by unnamed sources that about a dozen actors have been short-listed to play the young Han Solo role. These include Ansel Elgort ("The Fault in Our Stars"), Jack Reynor ("Transformers: Age of Extinction"), Miles Teller ("Whiplash"), Dave Franco ("Neighbors"), Scott Eastwood ("The Longest Ride"), Emory Cohen ("Brooklyn"), Logan Lerman ("The Perks of Being a Wallflower"), and Blake Jenner ("Everybody Wants Some").
The publication adds that the actors will be tested, and producer Kathleen Kennedy and directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller will come to a decision in the next couple of weeks. Phil Lord and Chris Miller are directing the as-of-yet untitled "Star Wars" Han Solo anthology film set to release on May 25, 2018.
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Filming for the Han Solo anthology, however, is scheduled to start next year. So why cast an actor to play young Han Solo this early? Variety's sources say that the reason for this has more to do with the upcoming film "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story." Although sources are unable to confirm, Variety speculates young Han Solo could make a small cameo in "Rogue One" before starring in his own stand-alone flick.
This strategy can be seen used by Marvel, another Disney-owned studio. Tom Holland as the new Spider-Man will be seen in a cameo in "Captain America: Civil War."
This strategy is one way of familiarizing audiences to a new actor/character who's set to have a new movie in the near future. Business-wise, it's also a way to ensure that whoever plays the lead character in a movie will be able to set time in their schedules for filming the movie and promotional appearances.
"Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" is scheduled to release on Dec. 16. It is directed by Gareth Edwards and stars Felicity Jones, Riz Ahmed, Donnie Yen, Diego Luna, Mads Mikkelsen, Ben Mendelsohn, Jiang Wen, Forest Whitaker, and Alan Tudyk.
