The new director of the untitled Han Solo spinoff film is a familiar face. (Photo: Tim P. Whitby via Getty Images)
The untitled Han Solo film has a new director.
Ron Howard is officially signed on to finish off the “Star Wars” spinoff film, which canned its previous directors, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, earlier this week over their creative differences with writer Lawrence Kasdan, who also helped write “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return Of The Jedi.”
Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm, made the decision official in a statement on the “Star Wars” website on Thursday.
“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,” Kennedy said. “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.”
Later on Thursday, Ron Howard released a statement of his own over Twitter.
I'm beyond grateful to add my voice to the Star Wars Universe after being a fan since 5/25/77.
LucasFilm is still planning to release the film on May 25, 2018. The movie is set to star Alden Ehrenreich as Han Solo and Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian.
Howard is a safe choice considering his longstanding ties with George Lucas. He starred in 1973′s “American Graffiti,” which Lucas directed. Howard also disclosed in 2015 that Lucas had asked him to direct 1999′s “The Phantom Menace.”
Lord and Miller, the film’s previous directors, who had directed films like “21 Jump Street” and “The Lego Movie,” said they wanted to “take risks to give the audience a fresh experience” when they first signed on to the project.
They had already been directing the project for more than four months when the studio apparently decided they had taken one too many risks.
This post has been updated to include a statement posted to Ron Howard’s Twitter account.
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