The worst-kept secret in the Star Wars universe was officially confirmed Sunday: Alden Ehrenreich is going to be young Han Solo.
The 26-year-old Hail, Caesar! actor was introduced to fans at London's Star Wars Celebration event live-blogged by StarWars.com. He appeared during a filmmaker panel that starred Star Wars: Episode VIII writer/director Rian Johnson, as well as Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, Ehrenreich's directors for the solo Han Solo movie that's expected out May 25, 2018.
Ehrenreich revealed that the audition process lasted about six months but the coolest part was sitting in the cockpit of Solo's iconic Millennium Falcon starship with Chewbacca. "I've never screen-tested with a Wookiee. It was amazing."
Lord said they auditioned thousands of actors and "turned over every rock to find someone who has the charisma and magic swagger." However, Miller added, "It was a waste of money because the person to get the part was literally the first person to walk through the door."
Production on the Han Solo standalone film begins early next year in England, and John Boyega, who was a surprise guest on the panel, along with Star Wars: The Force Awakens stars Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher, had advice for Ehrenreich: "You're going to be fine. You've got that charm stuff down. Enjoy the ride."
Boyega also was on hand to talk about the upcoming Episode VIII (in theaters Dec. 15, 2017), in which the London-born actor reprises his role as Finn opposite Daisy Ridley's Rey and Oscar Isaac's Poe Dameron. With Johnson on board, "the characters have been pushed in a new direction in a very, very cool way," Boyega said.
Johnson acknowledged that Episode VIII is going to break Star Wars tradition in that it's starting right from where The Force Awakens left off, with Rey handing Hamill's reclusive Luke Skywalker his old lightsaber. He also shared behind-the-scenes photos he took on the set, such as his assistant in Imperial armor piloting a TIE fighter, and noted that Rogue One: A Star Wars Story director Gareth Edwards has a cameo in the upcoming film.
No plot details nor an official title were announced for Episode VIII, but Johnson shared that the film's showcase moment will be at next year's Celebration in Orlando (April 13-16, 2017). The event will also be celebrating the original Star Wars film's 40th anniversary.
"I'm really looking forward to the next year and a half," Johnson said. "I think we're going to have a really good time together."
