Alden Ehrenreich may be the man in-charge of bringing Han Solo‘s younger years to the big screen, but the actor did have competition for the role. Lucasfilm has done its best to dampen fantastic reports about actors who may have become Star Wars‘ most famous pilot, so fans were surprised to hear that Harry Styles was once eyed for the role. Earlier this month, reports broke that the former One Direction singer was approached about the role, but his busy schedule just didn’t allow him to pursue the role. Now, the British star has been confronted about the reports, and Styles’ answer is a telling one.
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Recently, Styles went on a British late-night show hosted by Graham Norton to promote his recent solo single. It was there the star played a game with Norton as he tried to keep a deadpan expression whilst the host ready headlines about Styles. The questions ranged from mundane to strange, but the final headline focused on Styles’ rumored involvement with the yet-titled Han Solo standalone.
When Norton read the headline, Styles did his best to remain composed, but the singer did let a smile slip onto his face. The host said the response might just be a yes, and Styles then swatted away a hand when the comedian next to him began gesturing towards Styles’ wavering grin.
Of course, the actor wasn’t able to give a direct yes-or-no response, but his answer is telling enough. Styles’ unchecked expression was an open one, and it seems to give credence to reports which suggested he was once in the running to play Han Solo.
The story first reached the public after a source told the Metro UK that Styles was an early star Disney looked into for the role.
“Harry was one of the early names in contention when the studio looked at Han Solo,” the insider has admitted. “Even though he had virtually no acting experience, they saw he had huge star potential and would give the solo project enormous publicity.”
The source also said Styles even spoke with Disney about the role. However, the star was already planning to embark on his solo career as a singer, so his schedule made it “almost impossible to lock him down for the job.”
However, if the source is correct, Disney isn’t done look at Styles just yet. The report stressed that the studio has had talks “about having him come in again for other projects they are considering.”
Han Solo: A Star Wars Story is filming now under directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller for a May 25, 2018 release. Alden Ehrenreich stars as a young Han Solo and Joonas Suotamo as Chewbacca in the era before Star Wars: A New Hope, before they met Leia and Luke and embarked on a galaxy-saving adventure. Donald Glover also stars as Lando Calrissian, with Woody Harrelson, Thandie Newton, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and Emilia Clarke in as-yet-unrevealed co-starring roles.
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