Alden Ehrenreich Officially Introduced as New Han Solo at 'Star Wars Celebration'
Star Wars fans, meet your new Han Solo!
Alden Ehrenreich was officially introduced to fans as the younger version of the iconic smuggler in the untitled Han Solo standalone film on Sunday.
WATCH: Steven Spielberg on Discovering Young Han Solo: 'People Don't Know How Really Funny He Is'
During the Star Wars Celebration "Future Filmmakers" panel in London, film directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller revealed that Ehrenreich was chosen for the coveted role following a total of 3,000 auditions "from all across the world." Impressively, the 26-year-old actor was the very first person to audition for the part.
The Star Wars event marked Ehrenreich's formal debut as Han Solo. Though it was previously revealed that he would be taking on Harrison Ford's beloved role in the 2018 anthology film, Sunday's reveal didn't stop fans from taking to social media to share their latest opinions on the casting.
WATCH: 'Star Wars' Spinoff Movie About Young Han Solo Is Officially Coming!
During the presentation, Ehrenreich gushed about what it was like to step on the Millennium Falcon -- a legendary spacecraft in the Star Wars universe -- for the first time. "There's something about it that just felt so exciting... that was more exciting than it was nerve-wracking," he explained to moderator Pablo Hidalgo. "Actually being on the Falcon after having seen it for so long was just, yeah. You just kind of immediately go, 'Alright, OK. Cool.'"
ET's resident Star Wars expert, Ash Crossan, was on hand at the event, live tweeting the "Future Filmmakers" panel. She even witnessed John Boyega, who played Finn in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, give Ehrenreich some noteworthy advice.
"You're going to be fine," Boyega reassured him. "You've got that charm stuff down."
The panel also included a discussion on Episode VIII from director Rian Johnson, who confirmed that for the first time in franchise history, the new movie will pick up exactly where the previous film left off when it hits theaters in December 2017. Many fans were disappointed, however, that there were no big reveals during the celebration's final panel, namely, the highly-anticipated Episode VIII title.
WATCH: Kathleen Kennedy and Gareth Edwards Tease 'Rogue One' Opening Crawl
To put things into perspective, the bar was set high during last year's panel in Anaheim, California, as both the concept teaser and plot for Rogue One were revealed.
Hear more highlights from Star Wars Celebration in the video below.