Glen Powell Almost Played Young Han Solo

Before playing the cocky fighter pilot Hangman in Top Gun: Maverick, Glen Powell almost joined the Star Wars galaxy as the franchise’s most legendary smuggler. In an interview with GQ UK, Powell jokingly revealed that he auditioned for the part of Han Solo in Disney and Lucasfilm’s second theatrical spin-off film, Solo: A Star Wars Story. According to Powell, he admits he thinks he lost out on the part because he “blew” his final audition, with the part ultimately going to Oppenheimer star Alden Ehrenreich.

Missing out on Solo: A Star Wars Story may have been a blessing in disguise for Glen Powell, even though the idea of playing a Star Wars character as iconic as Han Solo is no-doubt alluring. Not only was the film a production nightmare behind the scenes, Solo: A Star Wars Story is often regarded as a significant financial failure for Disney and Lucasfilm, failing to reignite the same interest in the franchise that the Sequel Trilogy did. We’d argue Solo is a ton of fun and worthy of another look in the wake of its box office woes, but it’s clear that those same woes dramatically changed the trajectory of Star Wars‘ cinematic future.

Glen Powell Also Lost Out on Parts in ‘Captain America’, ‘Cowboys & Aliens’, ‘Friday Night Lights’, and More

In the same interview, Glen Powell also expanded on the feeling of losing out on other big parts in notable feature films. Powell was among many considered for the “Star-Spangled Man with a Plan” in Captain America: The First Avenger, which ultimately went to a previous Marvel star from the Fantastic Four series, Chris Evans. Other roles that Powell noted he auditioned for and lost out on include Jon Favreau‘s Western sci-fi Cowboys & Aliens and the football drama Friday Night Lights.

Despite losing out on some big parts, Glen Powell has persevered to become a star in the industry, as evident through his huge success in films like Top Gun: Maverick and Anyone But You. Powell is continuing to set his sights high, with ambitions to make a Captain Planet movie and recently expressed interest in playing Batman one day (he previously had a minor role in The Dark Knight Rises as one of Bane’s victims). One statement from Powell in his interview that really drives home Powell’s commendable determination and the value in not giving up can be read here:

“It’s haunting when you blow those moments, but that’s one of the parts of [the Hollywood myth] that’s not true. That was always somebody else’s ride to go on. You know what I mean? It was never yours to go on. If you put your time in, you’ll get your ride.”

Glen Powell’s next big feature is the storm-chasing sequel, Twisters, which premieres in theaters on July 19th, 2024.

Twisters

An update to the 1996 film ‘Twister’, which centered on a pair of storm chasers who risk their lives in an attempt to test an experimental weather alert system.

Release Date

July 19, 2024

Writers

Michael Crichton , Mark L. Smith

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