Earlier this month duringStar Wars Celebration, LucasFilm presidentKathleen Kennedymade it official by announcingAlden Ehrenreichas the Young Han Solo, who will star in the upcoming spinoffHan Solo: A Star Wars Story. A week later, during Comic-Con,Conan O’Brientook his late-night talk show to San Diego for a series of live tapings, where he showed fans some of the other major stars who also tried out for the Han Solo role, beforeAlden Ehrenreichwon the coveted part. As you can see, the young actor had plenty of worthy competitors.
Of course, this video that surfaced on Team CocoYouTubeafter its broadcast is fake, with several beloved comedians and other celebrities donning that iconicHan Solovest to try out for the role. This audition reel features stars such asBill Hader,Will Arnett,Melissa McCarthy,Thomas Middleditch,Jodie Foster,Adam Sandler,Kumail Nanjiani, andJeff Goldblum.Bill Haderalso shows off his impressive Jabba the Hut impression, whileMelissa McCarthygoes on a bit of a rampage after her audition.
Star Warsauditions have become a time-honored parody ever sinceSaturday Night Liveaired the first sketch back in 1997, when LucasFilm released the special editions of the originalStar Wars Trilogy. That sketch feauturedKevin Spaceydoing impressions ofChristopher Walken,Jack LemmonandWalter Matthau.SNLrevived the tradition last year with newauditionsforStar Wars: The Force Awakens, featuring stars such asJon Hamm,Emma StoneandMichael Buble.
As for the realHan Solo: A Star Wars Story, no other cast members have been announced yet, but it was confirmed earlier this year that the story will take place 10 years beforeA New Hope, where we first met this rogue smuggler at the Mos Eisley Cantina. This movie is said to give fans an origin story for this beloved character. Production has been slated to begin in January 2017, with Disney and LucasFilm setting a August 04, 2025 release date, which is exactly 41 years to the date afterA New Hopewas released in theaters.
In related news, duringConan’s Comic-Con shows, they also aired an “epic lightsaber battle” betweenConan O’BrienandAndy Richter, along with a humorous sketch for their “Dead Tauntaun B&B.” We’re not sure when we’ll have any more official updates onHan Solo: A Star Wars Story, which will be directed byPhil LordandChris Miller. Until more information comes through check out these videos fromConan’s Comic-Con shows last week.
