Ron Howard is the new ‘Han Solo’ director

Help me Opie-wan, you’re our only hope! Following the very public departure of directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller from the upcoming HAN SOLO film, the veteran filmmaker Ron Howard has been officially announced as the replacement. 

LucasFilm and Disney made a statement on the official Star Wars website:

“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.” 

The bizarre situation comes about three-quarters of the way through the troubled production, with Lord and Miller reportedly fired over “creative differences.” Lawrence Kasdan has also been considered as a replacement, but the Directors Guild of America had allegedly ruled that the replacement could not be someone already heavily involved in the production. Howard will be involved in the 3-and-a-half weeks of production left, and an additional 5 scheduled weeks of reshoots. 

Starring Alden Ehrenreich as the young Han Solo, and Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian, the HAN SOLO film is due for release on 25 May 2018 from Disney.