Rami Malek Almost Headlined This Star Wars Movie

Though his acting career hit a new level of notoriety with Mr. Robot in 2015, Rami Malek’s acting accomplishments aren’t just limited to that feature or even his Oscar-winning lead turn in Bohemian Rhapsody. In his esteemed career, Malek’s appeared in movies helmed by auteurs like David Lowery, Destin Daniel Cretton, Spike Lee, Paul Thomas Anderson, Christopher Nolan, and many others. Long before headlining The Amateur in April 2025, Malek already amassed an impressive body of work that any actor would be envious of.

In the wake of Mr. Robot’s immense success, though, Malek almost headlined a massive blockbuster that could’ve taken his career into a radically different direction. Once Disney purchased Lucasfilm and the Star Wars franchise, the Mouse House suddenly had grand ambitions of doing spin-off movies like Solo: A Star Wars Story. One actor eyeballed for young Han Solo? Freddie Mercury himself, Rami Malek.

Rami Malek’s Solo Adventure

In early 2016, it seemed like every young male actor of a certain age was being eyeballed for the part of Han Solo. It didn’t hurt that this casting happened right as Star Wars: The Force Awakens hit theaters and became the biggest movie of all time domestically. While today, there’s a more nuanced perception of Disney’s Star Wars material, in 2016’s initial weeks, this franchise was like a goldmine for young leading men. Malek was among the very first names attached to the project, with the actor (along with several other male performers) doing an audition in late 2015.

By March 2016, the hunt had narrowed down to Alden Ehrenreich, Jack Reynor, and Taron Egerton, with other names like Miles Teller and Ansel Elgort being bandied about as major candidates for the role. Ehrenreich would eventually secure the part in May 2016. Malek’s name never came up again as a major contender for Han Solo, which feels a bit inevitable. His TV show Mr. Robot lasted four seasons, which each delivered 10-13 episodes on a near-annual basis. That’s a bustling schedule that doesn’t leave much room for Star Wars movies.

While Disney/Lucasfilm and the various Mr. Robot production outfits could’ve figured out ways to make the scheduling work, Malek not getting the role saved everyone a tremendous headache. After all, the eventual infamous production problems on Solo prolonged the movie’s principal photography for months and months. Who knows how Mr. Robot would’ve been affected by such exorbitant delays. Malek lost out on succeeding Harrison Ford as Han Solo while Ehrenreich embraced the second leading man part in a Star Wars spin-off feature.

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Why Losing Solo Was A Win For Rami Malek

Losing out on Han Solo had another benefit for Rami Malek: it opened his 2017 schedule to shoot the movie Bohemian Rhapsody. This Freddie Mercury biopic also went through a turbulent production, however, it actually became a box office phenomenon and even won Malek a Best Actor Oscar. Rather than existing in Harrison Ford’s shadow, Malek eschewed his introverted, subdued Mr. Robot persona for a rocking turn that dominated the 2018-2019 awards season.

Solo: A Star Wars Story becoming an infamous box office flop also certainly helped soothe the pain of losing out on such a high-profile part. With a worldwide gross well south of $400+ million, Solo lost Disney untold millions. It also became a poster child for the many ways prequel movies can go belly-up. It took a few years for Alden Ehrenreich to regain his footing as an actor when he showed up in memorable supporting turns in 2023 films Cocaine Bear and Oppenheimer. Perhaps Malek taking on young Han Solo would’ve had a similar effect on his career and extinguished all his Mr. Robot momentum.

Since auditioning for Han Solo, Malek has mostly avoided tentpole fare in the modern blockbuster-dominated film scene, save for taking on the irresistible opportunity to play a James Bond villain in No Time to Die. Instead, Malek’s 2020s cinematic exploits include mid-budget dramas like The Amateur, Amsterdam, The Little Things, and the upcoming Nuremberg. In scope and target audience, these titles echo Malek’s Bohemian Rhapsody turn. Going that route rather than exploring that fabled galaxy far, far away has clearly served the Oscar-winning tremendously well.

The Amateur is now playing in theaters, Solo: A Star Wars Story is now streaming on Disney+.