James Franco says Disney are having a tough time casting a young Han Solo

Whoever Lucasfilm and Disney cast a young Han Solo, there’s going to be a very strong reaction. Let’s face it; the character is so iconic and loved that casting someone to unanimous approval is practically impossible. But, they’ve got to do it – and they’re getting closer and closer.

However, it looks as though it won’t be Dave Franco, with the actor recently speaking about his audition to play the nerf herder.

Franco was apparently asked to do his best Harrison Ford impression during the audition and felt the immense pressure, even though he can be seen pulling off a pretty impressive Robert De Niro during Bad Neighbours.

“No, I’m not good with impressions or anything like that. I think that’s the reason why it’s so hard to cast this role,” he told MTV (via Squareeyed).

“Do they want someone to perfectly embody who Harrison Ford is, or do they want to go a completely different route? Do they want someone to look really similar to him? I don’t know, I think they’re struggling with that.”

While we’re not sure at this stage who has bagged the most coveted acting gig in the galaxy – although Hail, Caesar! star Alden Ehrenreich is believed to be the current frontrunner – the Han Solo spin-off already has some impressive filmmaking talent on board. The directors are Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the brains behind hits like Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, The Lego Movie and the rebooted 21 Jump Street franchise.

In addition, Lawrence Kasdan is writing and producing. Kasdan’s credentials shouldn’t need an introduction but for the unadvised, he wrote Star Wars: The Force Awakens as well as The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

Plot details are, of course, heavily guarded at this time but we do understand the film will explore the early relationship between Han Solo and Chewbacca.