It is reported that Wicklow actor Jack Reynor has moved a step closer to playing the young Han Solo in the upcoming Star Wars spinoff movie.
US trade publication The Hollywood Reporter, quoting unnamed sources, said that Sing Street star Reynor was one of a number of actors who tested for the iconic role in London last weekend, along with Hail, Caesar!'s and Kingsman: The Secret Service star Taron Egerton.
Alden Ehrenreich
Taron Egerton
It is reported that Saoirse Ronan's Brooklyn co-star Emory Cohen also tested. Other actors linked to the part include Miles Teller (Whiplash, Divergent) and Ansel Elgort (The Fault in Our Stars, Divergent).
Emory Cohen with Saoirse Ronan in Brooklyn
It is not known if costume tests or screen tests took place in London. Disney Lucasfilm, the film giant behind the Star Wars franchise, has declined to comment.
The search for a leading man has reportedly seen around 2,500 actors meeting casting directors or sending in audition tapes - one of the widest casting calls in film history.
Reynor's name was first linked to the film late last year. In January he told MTV News that playing Han Solo would be "an incredible gig to get".
"You've got to fill some pretty seriously big boots there, man," he said. "We're talking Harrison Ford here, dude.
"He's not a chump, you know what I mean? You can't do imitation; you can't try and just emulate what that is. It's got to be something new, and it's also got to be something that the audience is going to respond to."
The Han Solo movie will be directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (21 Jump Street, The Lego Movie) and is due for release in 2018.
Sing Street opens in cinemas on St Patrick's Day. You can watch our interview with Jack Reynor by clicking the link.
