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Ron Howard Officially Takes Over as Director of ‘Star Wars’ Han Solo Movie

Jun 22, 2017  •  Post A Comment

Lucasfilm announced today that the upcoming standalone “Star Wars” movie about Han Solo, scheduled for release on May 25, 2018, will be directed by Ron Howard.

In a statement, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy said: “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 move comes just days after co-directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller parted ways with the production after working on it for more than four months, as we reported previously.

“Creative differences over style and tone came to a head between the duo and Lawrence Kasdan, with the studio backing the veteran screenwriter,” The Hollywood Reporter’s Heat Vision reports. “The firing sent shockwaves around Hollywood and beyond as the movie was about three-quarters through principal photography and the replacement of a director at that stage is near-unprecedented.”

Three and a half more weeks of shooting are scheduled, along with five weeks of reshoots built into the schedule, THR notes.

“Howard, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter, will meet with the actors — Alden Ehrenreich is playing the iconic smuggler, Donald Glover is playing Lando Calrissian, with Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke and Thandie Newton also on the roll call — to soothe a rattled set and will pore over a rough edit to see what the project needs,” THR adds.

Howard has a track record with Lucas, THR notes, including acting in Lucas’ 1973 movie “American Graffiti” and directing the 1988 film “Willow,” a Lucas pet project.

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