An Outer Banks Star Could Have Played Han Solo In A Star Wars Movie

Lucasfilm

Netflix viewers will likely know Chase Stokes as one of the stars of the treasure-hunting teen drama, “Outer Banks.” The series follows a group of teenagers living on an island in the Outer Banks of Northern California, as they set out in search of legendary lost treasure. Stokes plays John B. Routledge, the leader of the group, whose father disappeared while looking for the same treasure. In their search for the treasure, the kids hope to discover what happened to him. Season 4 debuted on Netflix last year, and “Outer Banks” has been renewed for a fifth season, airing in 2026, which will bring the series to an end.

Before “Outer Banks” came about, Stokes was up for another role that would have introduced the actor to an even larger audience. In 2018, Disney and Lucasfilm did what was once unthinkable and recast Harrison Ford’s Han Solo in “Solo: A Star Wars Story.” The younger Han was ultimately played by Alden Ehrenreich, who recently joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Disney+’s “Ironheart.” However, the role almost went to Stokes instead. The “Outer Banks” actor previously revealed he made it “pretty deep” into the casting process for the new take on Han Solo. We can only speculate as to why the role ultimately went to Ehrenreich, but Stokes was apparently close to sharing his take on the iconic “Star Wars” character with the world. Whether that would have saved the Star Wars franchise’s most forgettable movie is anyone’s guess.

Chase Stokes reveals how close he came to being Star Wars’ new Han Solo

Netflix

During a 2020 BuzzFeed interview with the cast of “Outer Banks,” the Netflix series’ leads were asked about roles they had unsuccessfully auditioned for. Stokes revealed that when “Solo” had been in the works at Lucasfilm, he not only auditioned for the lead role, but came close to getting the part. Recalling his Star Wars audition process, Stokes said:

“I have one good one. I don’t know if I’ve told you guys this, but when they did the Han Solo reboot I got pretty deep in the casting to play Han Solo. I think I read five times for that. And then they cast a 34-year-old guy, so …”

Stokes was a little out with his estimation of Ehrenreich’s age — the actor was only 28 when “Solo” came out and 30 when this interview took place. Born in 1989, Ehrenreich is actually only three years older than Stokes. However, given that Stokes is still playing a teenager on “Outer Banks” in his early 30s, it’s fair to say he would have brought a younger energy to Han Solo.

One of the few criticisms of Ehrenreich’s Han — which was perfectly performed — was that the actor’s proximity in age to Ford in the original Star Wars movies made it difficult to believe his already fully-grown Han would grow into the character seen in “A New Hope.” Casting Stokes might have fixed at least one issue fans had with “Solo.”

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