Thousands of young men have been vying for the chance to play a young Han Solo in Disney's upcoming Solo-centric "Star Wars" spinoff flick. Now, according to a new report, that number has been whittled down to less than a dozen.



Variety reports that Disney and Lucasfilm are close to making a decision on who will fill Harrison Ford's iconic shoes to play a younger version of the roguish hero, and have narrowed the field of potential leading men considerably in recent days. Per Variety's sources, the lucky few remaining on the Solo shortlist include Miles Teller, Ansel Elgort, Dave Franco, Jack Reynor ("Transformers: Age of Extinction"), Scott Eastwood, Logan Lerman, Emory Cohen ("Brooklyn"), and Blake Jenner (Richard Linklater's upcoming "Everybody Wants Some").



Casting is expected to be announced sometime in the next few weeks, and according to Variety, there's a good reason for such an accelerated decision: Though the Han Solo project isn't slated to start shooting until early next year, the actor playing Solo may be popping up in the first "Star Wars" spinoff flick, "Rogue One," which is due in theaters this December.



That film is still in the late stages of production, so there's time to insert the chosen Solo star into the flick for a brief cameo, which would then set up his own spinoff. (Variety compares the process to the one used by Disney and Marvel for the introduction of the new Spider-Man, Tom Holland, who will first appear in "Captain America: Civil War" before headlining a standalone flick.)



Producers had reportedly been looking for an actor in his mid-20s to play the part originated by a 35-year-old Ford in "Star Wars: A New Hope." The flick will reportedly take place sometime between the events of "Episode III" and "Episode IV."



The as-yet-untitled project is due in theaters on May 25, 2018.







Photo credit: StarWars.com