There are some characters that transcend cultural boundaries and even generations, becoming solidified in the collective consciousness of our society. Han Solo from Star Wars is a perfect example of that. The, at the time, unlikely casting of Harrison Ford for the original Star Wars helped to create the science fiction archetype of the rogue smuggler while also helping redefine what cool really was. To this day, Harrison Ford’s Han Solo is unforgettable, with him reprising the role in 2015’s The Force Awakens and still being able to be just as cool and effortless as he was back in the 70’s and 80’s.
That’s what makes casting the role for the upcoming prequel film being written by Lawrence and Jon Kasdan, set for a May, 2018 release that much more difficult. The untitled Han Solo anthology film is set to delve into the origins of the handsome smuggler, which means that they need to find a young actor to take on the role of a lifetime and hopefully not upset the millions and millions of die-hard Star Wars fans throughout the galaxy. According to recent reports, they already have a frontrunner for the role of Han Solo in Alden Ehrenreich, but that doesn’t mean that they haven’t been looking high and low.
Dave Franco, perhaps best known for his roles in Neighbors and Warm Bodies (oh yeah, and he’s James Franco’s brother) auditioned for the role and he freely admitted that there was a lot of pressure with trying to tackle such an iconic character. When asked if he tried to act like Harrison Ford, he explained just how complicated it was to try to be Han Solo:
“No, I’m not good with impressions or anything like that. I think that’s the reason why it’s so hard to cast this role. Do they want someone to perfectly embody who Harrison Ford is, or do they want to go a completely different route? Do they want someone to look really similar to him? I don’t know, I think they’re struggling with that.”
Without a doubt it will be very interesting to see who is selected in the lead role and if they can handle the pressures of being constantly compared to Harrison Ford. Man, no wonder Kylo Ren was so messed up, he had to deal with always being compared to Han Solo. Star Wars is complicated, isn’t it?
(Via Collider)
