Oscar winner Ron Howard, certainly beloved in Hollywood, will take over as director of the Han Solo solo movie. He’s replacing Phil Lord and Chris Miller, who were dismissed after shooting a lot of the movie. LucasFilm didn’t like what they saw, i.e. the tone or pace, so “The Lego Movie” directors will get a hefty pay out and return to their own world.
Howard will have to make extensive reshoots, but he and partner Brian Grazer are the most efficient and one of the most successful teams in Hollywood. All Howard has to do is make young Han Solo like a cocky young Tom Hanks. And he knows how to do that.
This does mean that Howard can’t replace Colin Trevorrow as director of “Star Wars 9” if Lucas Film loses faith after the crash of “The Book of Henry.” But that would be very weird anyway since Trevorrow directs Ron’s terrific daughter, Bryce Dallas Howard, in the “Jurassic World” movies.
Hollywood is very incestuous, you know.
Here’s the LucasFilms statement:
Lucasfilm is pleased to announce that Academy Award-winning filmmaker Ron Howard has been named director of the untitled Han Solo film.“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,” said Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm. “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.”Howard has made some of the biggest hits and most critically-acclaimed movies of the modern era. Among his many films are Lucasfilm’s Willow, Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind (winner of four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director), The Da Vinci Code, Frost/Nixon, and Rush. He also narrated and produced the beloved comedy series Arrested Development, starred in George Lucas’ American Graffiti, and remains a TV icon for his roles in The Andy Griffith Show and Happy Days.The untitled Han Solo film is slated for a May 25, 2018, release.