Full report can be read here. I'm not familiar with all of the names there, but the age range is pretty interesting. I'm just glad that oft-mentioned Chris Pratt isn't among them. I like him, but he's too old to play a "young" Han Solo (he's older now than Harrison Ford was when he originated the role).
None of the actors listed on that short list seem right, so far as I can tell. I know it'd be a bit weird, but I almost feel like the only real choice would be Adam Driver. He's got the right physicality and just enough resemblance to pass (which is why he's such a great son of Solo) but I don't know if it would work (or even be workable with the scheduling) to have the same actor portray two roles in the Star Wars universe. At any rate, I think Driver would be miles better than any of the candidates in the list.
I've always thought Jason Ritter might be good - he's hardly 'young', though. He's probably around the age Ford was in ANH.
Surely Anthony Ingruber. He played the younger version of Harrison in The age of Adeline." And he clearly knows the material
I'm not sure if I would describe that outcome as a "win". More like "horrible nightmare from which it is impossible to ever wake up".
Referring to the age range of the actors on the shortlist, I found this bit from the article interesting... I'm not sure how I feel about a potential Han cameo in Rogue One. I guess I'd be okay with it if it were something minor, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's something slightly more significant to lead into Han's own movie. Maybe he has some kind of history with Felicity Jones' character?
A performance that's in essence impersonation is good for a docudrama but not interesting enough to carry a movie (yeah, I feel pretty much this way about fan favorite Urban's "McCoy' as well...).
Well, Ingruber was 16 when he did that youtube clip. About 8 years ago. He probably could put more nuance in it now.
Someone who can get the inflections correct and act is important. I think Ford said that whoever they get should make it theirs own, not worry about doing him as Han Solo. What they need to do is be Han Solo, not Harrison Ford playing Han Solo. Lucasfilm did manage to get it to work for the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles and the start of The Last Crusade, so I image they can get it to work for a Han Solo movie. If the film is set about ten years before A New Hope, than Han Solo should be about twenty years old. Just out of the Imperial Academy (if they decide to keep that story)? His first meeting with Chewbacca? I don't know if they'd pull the story of the winning of the Millenium Falcon from Lando Calrissian gambling, but it is possible. But then they'd need a young Lando as well as a young Han.
That would be up to the studio. People have looked different before within the same storyline and yet if they pull of the character, all seems fine.
I found a clip on YouTube of Anthony Ingruber playing a younger version of Harrison Ford's character in The Age of Adaline. He certainly looks and sounds enough like Ford, but would Disney rather have an actor imitating Harrison Ford playing Han Solo, or an actor playing Han Solo?
Seems like he is capable, he just isn't a name and hasn't really proven himself. Put him in the hands of the right director and I have few doubts it would work out fine; the material should certainly be strong enough.