Alden Ehrenreich has been confirmed to play the young Han Solo.
The ‘Hail, Caesar!’ star will take over the reigns of the iconic character from Harrison Ford for an upcoming ‘Star Wars’ spin-off movie.
Speaking at a Star Wars Celebration event in London on Sunday (17.07.16) where Alden appeared to officially announce the news, he revealed how he won the part.
He said: "I screen tested with Chewbacca – I’d never acted with a Wookiee!"
John Boyega – who joined the film franchise as Finn in 2015’s ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ – was also there to congratulate Alden for securing the part and compared him to Harrison, 74.
He said: "Oh man, you’re playing Han Solo, man. Damn! He’s smiling just like him!"
Alden’s name has been in the mix for a while and rumours circulated earlier this year that he was reportedly finalising a deal with Disney and Lucasfilm to play the iconic space smuggler in the science fiction franchise.
The 26-year-old actor has beat off competition from big Hollywood names including Miles Teller, Ansel Elgort, Dave Franco, Jack Reynor, Scott Eastwood and Taron Egerton.
Despite the big reveal, fans are still being kept in the dark about the story’s plot but it has been confirmed that it will focus around "an origin story about Han Solo and Chewie".
The film is thought to be titled ‘Han Solo: A Star Wars Story’ and is set to be released on May 25, 2018.
Alden Ehrenreich confirmed to play Han Solo role
