Whilst it’s not official, it looks as if Disney could well have found their new Han Solo.

Deadline is reporting that Alden Ehrenreich, recently seen in the Coen Brothers’ Hail, Caesar! is the current frontrunner for the gig, with an official announcement expected shortly. Ehrenreich is also known for his work in the likes of Stoker, Twixt, and Blue Jasmine.

This new Han is needed for Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s upcoming Solo-centric Star Wars Story movie. With Gareth Edwards’ Rogue One: A Star Wars Story hitting screens this December, audiences will then be given Star Wars: Episode VIII before getting the still-untitled Han Solo effort.

Focussing on how the younger Solo became the loveable rascal we met in Mos Eisley back in 1977, the only other thing we know about this Han movie is that it’ll also feature Chewbacca, with The Force Awakens’ Joonas Suotamo seemingly returning to play Chewie.

For the role of a younger Han Solo, literally thousands of names have been considered, auditioned, tested, etc. It was only last month that the shortlist to play Han was down to five names – Alden Ehrenreich, Kingsman’s Taron Egerton, Transformers: Age of Extinction’s Jack Reynor, Unbroken’s Jack O’Connell, and Everybody Wants Some’s Blake Jenner – and it now appears that Ehrenreich is close to landing the gig.

At present, Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s Han Solo movie is set for a May 25th, 2018 release.

As ever, expect more on this as it develops.