Ever since he took over as the director on the standalone Han Solo movie, Ron Howard has been endlessly toying with Star Wars fans on social media. From set photos suggesting new characters to behind-the-scene looks at hyperspace travel, Howard seems to be doing his best to pivot the narrative surrounding Disney‘s latest Star Wars prequel from, “Wow, I can’t believe they fired those directors!” to “Wow, I can’t believe Ron Howard is being such a jerk on Instagram!” Seriously, Ron, would it kill you to show something up close for once?
The most recent reports regarding the young Han Solo movie have Taron Egerton, Jack Reynor and Alden Ehrenreich on the shortlist for the Star Wars spinoff, with rumors that the actors have already screen-tested for Lucasfilm. Just the other day, Miles Teller confirmed that he auditioned for the part, and now Egerton and Reynor are responding to the rumors — or not responding, rather. Their reactions are pretty interesting, to say the least.
With Star Wars: The Force Awakens just about two weeks ago, it may seem strange to now look ahead to a Star Wars film that isn’t coming out until May, 2018, but when that film is Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s Han Solo spinoff, you’ll forgive us for jumping out ahead. Though filming on the Han Solo project isn’t expected to begin for over a year, Lord and Miller have already started auditioning a slew of young Hollywood actors for the project and some of the names may surprise you.
May 4 is just another day to most people. But to those like myself who idolize Han Solo and dream of leading a rebel strike force against Jar Jar Binks, it's something far more significant.