Star Wars breaking news: Is Taron Egerton the new Hans Solo?
KINGSMAN star Taron Egerton is poised for intergalactic stardom as a young Hans Solo in the latest Star Wars spin-off film
Taron Egerton is having a VERY good year.
2014 is already shaping up to be a breakthough year for the young actor with lead roles in Testament of Youth and Kingsman: The Secret Service.
Egerton is also being tipped to play Eddie 'The Eagle' Edwards in the upcoming biopic of the legendary UK Olympic ski-jumper, alongside Hugh Jackman.
And for this 25-year-old, a certain galaxy far, far away is getting closer by the day.
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens is due to hit cinemas worldwide on December 18.
That may be exciting enough on its own, but it is just the first of a whole new raft of films from the Star Wars universe heading our way.
The original 'big three' actors from the early films are due to appear as their iconic characters in The Force Awakens but Harison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill will, understandably, take secondary, less action-driven, roles this time around.
But a series of spin-off stories is also being planned, based around the early lives of some of the best-loved Star Wars characters.
One of these would follow the adventures of space outlaw Hans Solo as a young man.
Disney, who bought the rights to the Star Wars universe from Lucas Film, are said to be developing the story of his early scrapes and the way he gets ownership of his beloved spaceship, the Millenium Falcon.
Early front-runner for the role is Kingsman star Taron Egerton.
The 25-year-old from Aberystwyth shot to fame in January as the breakout lead star of Matthew Vaughan's comic book caper Kingsman: The Secret Service.
In the high-octane spy romp he held his own opposite big screen greats like Colin Firth, Michael Caine and Samuel L. Jackson.
More importantly, he displayed the combination of swagger, charm and testosterone that will be necessary to fill Harrison Ford's boots as legendary womaniser and tough guy, Hans Solo.
Whether flying through the air on skis or at the wheel of the coolest spaceship of all time, this young man is definitely one to watch in the future.
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