Ron Howard To Direct ‘Han Solo’ Spinoff

Ron Howard will officially be replacing Phil Lord and Chris Miller as director on the upcoming Untitled Han Solo Star Wars Story.

Han Solo Star Wars Lord Miller Ron HowardThe Hollywood Reporter has revealed Ron Howard will officially be replacing Phil Lord and Chris Miller as director on the upcoming Untitled Han Solo Star Wars Story which has now been officially confirmed by Lucasfilm.

The news of Lord and Miller’s exit from the project came as a shock to Star Wars fans Tuesday night. The directing duo had been revealed to have departed the project due to creative differences, however, new reports emerged which revealed the pair had actually been fired for repeatedly clashing with Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy since day one on set over her strict control of the project. Kennedy and franchise veteran scribe Lawrence Kasdan reportedly disagreed not only with Lord and Miller’s comedic and improvisational approach to the sarcastic and selfish character of Han Solo, but also their shooting style and their process of interacting with the cast and crew.

The hiring of Howard will be in an effort to maintain the film’s scheduled release date. Howard takes over the project which only has three weeks of principal photography left. Production has been underway since the end of January. Another five weeks of additional photography are also planned. The director will reportedly meet with the cast to smooth over the transition and will also be reviewing a rough cut in order to determine what the project has and what changes will be necessary.

Kennedy released a statement regarding the hiring of the Academy Award-winning director in which she reveals production will resume in a little less than three weeks:

“At Lucasfilm, we believe the highest goal of each film is to delight, carrying forward the spirit of the saga that George Lucas began forty years ago. With that in mind, we’re thrilled to announce that Ron Howard will step in to direct the untitled Han Solo film. We have a wonderful script, an incredible cast and crew, and the absolute commitment to make a great movie. Filming will resume the 10th of July.”

The Untitled Han Solo Star Wars Story has been written by Lawrence Kasdan and son Jon Kasdan. The film stars Alden Ehrenreich as the young Han Solo along with Joonas Suotomo as Chewbacca and Donald Glover as the young Lando Calrissian. The cast also includes Thandie Newton, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Michael K. Williams, and Ian Kenny.

The Untitled Han Solo Star Wars Story is currently slated for release on May 25, 2018.

Stay tuned to Heroic Hollywood for the latest news on the future of the Star Wars franchise as we learn it.

Source: THR, Lucasfilm

Michael Mistroff

Michael Mistroff

News Editor, Film/TV Reporter at Heroic Hollywood.