Alden Ehrenreich of 'Hail Ceasar' makes the shortlist for young Han Solo role

Hail Ceasar star Alden Ehrenreich is the frontrunner to play a young version of iconic character, Han Solo, in an upcoming Star Wars spin-off, set to be directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller.

Among 2,500 actors auditioning for the role, Ehrenreich made up the final shortlist along with Taron Egerton (Kingsman: The Secret Service) and Jack Reynor (Transformers: Age of Extinction).

The 26-year-old Los Angeles native now leads the pack thanks to his "impressive performance" during a series of screen tests, reported Deadline.

It's worth noting that Ehrenreich's casting is not yet official and the coveted role could still go to another actor.

Written by Lawrence Kasdan and his son Jon, the still-untitled stand-alone Star Wars film II will be an origin story about Han Solo and his best buddy Chewbacca. Filming is set to star next January for a May 25, 2018 release in the US.