Nicholas Hoult and Taron Egerton are battling it out to play Han Solo in the 'Star Wars' spin-off film.

It was announced earlier this week that the iconic sci-fi character would appear as the central figure in a new spin-off feature and the two British actors, both of whom are 25, are in the running for the coveted role in the Christopher Miller and Phil Lord-directed movie.

A source told the Daily Mirror newspaper: ''Everyone is very excited about the new Han Solo spin-off and film bosses are looking very carefully at Nicholas and Taron, they are top of their list.''

Meanwhile, the directing duo - who helmed 'The Lego Movie' in 2014 - recently promised to ''take risks'' with the eagerly-awaited spin-off film.

They said: ''This is the first film we've worked on that seems like a good idea to begin with. We promise to take risks, to give the audience a fresh experience, and we pledge ourselves to be faithful stewards of these characters who mean so much to us.

''This is a dream come true for us. And not the kind of dream where you're late for work and all your clothes are made of pudding, but the kind of dream where you get to make a film with some of the greatest characters ever, in a film franchise you've loved since before you can remember having dreams at all.''