When a film or series is done and dusted, sometimes an audience will say; “That actor wasn’t very good in that part” or they’ll say the opposite; “I couldn’t imagine anyone else playing that part” or better yet; “Wasn’t so-and-so just born to play that role.” An obvious example of this in modern cinema is often Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean films or, a fun one but I firmly believe it, that Matthew Lillard was born to play Shaggy in the live-action Scooby Doo films.
We do this with Star Wars. It’s ridiculous to think of anyone else playing Han Solo other than Harrison Ford in the original films. How on earth could we even begin to envision Darth Vader’s voice belonging to anyone else other than James Earl Jones, but the truth is, like most things in life, things could have worked out very differently. Let’s look at some of the casting options that almost happened for Solo: A Star Wars Story before Alden Ehrenreich got the role and, in my humble opinion, knocked it out the park sensationally. MAKE SOLO 2 HAPPEN!
Dave Franco
The younger brother of James Franco, who at one point was arguably the bigger star, Dave Franco rose through Hollywood in mostly broad comedies. In recent years, however, he’s proven that he is indeed a versatile performer. With the tone of films that Lord and Miller produce, this casting option is actually one of the more feasible ones to imagine. He has the physicality for action, for sure, as for resembling a younger Harrison Ford then the jury’s still out on that one. Perhaps his starring in one too many rude, though successful, comedies put off the creatives from this choice.
Ansel Elgort
Elgort gained recognition for his starring role in Baby Driver and later worked with Steven Spielberg on his reimaging of West Side Story. This is a casting option that would have made sense. He wasn’t too famous and carries similar physicality to that of Ford (none, in my opinion, did it better than Alden for which is deserves all the credit he gets – which is not enough.) Ansel had the look, but did he have the swagger?
Scott Eastwood
As the name suggests, Scott is the son of one of Hollywood’s biggest stars – Clint Eastwood. There were 3000 actors considered for the role so its no surprise that Scott Eastwood was one the list. Now, much like his father, Scott had the swagger and the looks but I can’t picture him with the wry humour that a young Solo would need as he was making his way around the galaxy. Romantic lead? Yes. Scoundral…not quite.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Another solid contender for the role that probably would have made some sense is the star of the Kick-Ass films and certainly an actor who has gone on to have a wide and varied career in the industry. At the time when casting was underway for Solo, Taylor-Johnson was hot property. He was coming off the back of two Kick-Ass films, headlining Godzilla in 2014 and had also made his Marvel debut. He was tipped to be the next big star of Hollywood and his name was, and to a push – still is, mentioned in the same breath as being the next James Bond and would have fit the bill for a young Solo. Again, though, did he have the cocksure grin and wink in the eye?
Taron Egerton
It’s been reported that Taron Egerton was shortlisted for the role and was serious contender. He even, so reports go, made it down to final three. If you look at his resume, it’s not hard to see why. He’d been the star of the wildly successful Kingsman films where he displayed action status, pathos and humour all at once. A bona fine star. The hair would have been a slight issue but, hey, that’s what wigs are made for. Whilst he still doesn’t have the resemblance that Alden had to Ford, with a leap of faith he would have been believable in the role without a doubt. Having seen his work in Eddie the Eagle and Rocket Man, it’s not a stretch to assume that Egerton would have thrown himself fully into the role.
Miles Teller
Of all the actors who nearly made the cut, Miles Teller is, for me, the easiest to see as a young Han Solo. The face fits, the lopsided smile, and the physicality of him. Teller’s most famous work, Whiplash, shows a confidence and edge to his character that could have easily been translated over to that of the future captain of the Millenium Falcon. His CV before Solo included the Divergent series, Fantastic Four and flexing his dramatic chops in Only the Brave and his comedic skills in That Awkard Moment. He really had it all. Teller would later go on so show some of the swagger of a pilot in the 2022 sequel to Top Gun. None, however, could do as sterling a job as Alden did. let’s hope that Filoni decides to put the band back together for The Adventures of Young Han Solo streaming series.
