Why Chris Pratt Won't Be Playing Han Solo

We know the Han Solo spin-off is set for May 2018 with film-makers Chris Lord and Phil Miller (the Jump Street flicks) on-board to call the shots. So far, so awesome. What we don't know is who'll be playing Solo, but thanks to Kathleen Kennedy we can start crossing certain names, including Chris Pratt, off the list. Because according to the famed producer Solo's going to be just a pup. Kennedy remarked to Entertainment Weekly:

"He€™ll definitely be probably in the high teens, low 20s"

Harrison Ford was in his mid-30s when he dawned Solo's smug grin for the first time, so it's fair to assume this film will commence a whole heap of years before his fateful meeting with Ben Kenobi and Luke Skywalker. Mid 30s is also the age a lot of fan favourite casting picks reside at. Chris Pratt, even with his eternally youthful disposition, isn't exactly a physical match for a teenager, so I guess we can now completely rule him out. It also dismantles my personal selection for the part, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's Glenn Howerton (aged 40). Howerton has the physique, smirk and roguish charisma required (and would be a good comedy match for the directors), but alas, it isn't to be.

Taking Solo right back to his formative years and the presumed inception of his smuggling career opens the character to a very clear transformative arc, although I would caution Kennedy and the film-makers not to give too much away. So much of Solo's swagger comes from the innate sense of mystery he cultivates, and I'm not sure I want that excised with a straight origin story. Can't we just have a random adventure instead?