In recent months reports surfaced that actor Alden Ehrenreich was in final negotiations to play the role of young Han Solo in a new standalone film, and today at Star Wars Celebration the casting was confirmed.

During the “Future Filmmakers” panel in London, directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller explained that they had auditioned 3,000 actors across the world for the coveted role, before finally landing on their choice. Ironically, Ehrenreich was not only the final choice — he was actually the first actor the directors ever saw for the role.

The process took six months in total, with the filmmakers asking Ehrenreich to screen test multiple times — including alongside Chewbacca.

Ehrenreich has been heating up in Hollywood in recent years, most recently making a big impression in the ensemble cast of Hail, Caesar! That film saw him tackling the role of an actor that was suave, brash, but not too bright, but Ehrenreich was able to bring a sense of earnest heart to the role, exactly the kind of combination needed to realise the Star Wars world’s most infamous smuggler – whom was originally played by Harrison Ford.

The as-yet-untitled Han Solo Anthology film is an upcoming film in the Star Wars Anthology Series. The film is centered on a young Han Solo. It also features Chewbacca in what has been described as an “origin story” for the two characters.

It will be directed by Christopher Miller and Phil Lord and written by Lawrence Kasdan and Jon Kasdan. The film is scheduled to be released on May 25, 2018.