Ron Howard steps in to direct Han Solo spinoff
Hollywood heavyweight Ron Howard has stepped in to helm the forthcoming Han Solo film, days after Lucasfilm cut loose original directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller over "creative differences" on the anticipated Star Wars spinoff.
Howard, an Oscar-winner for A Beautiful Mind and known for credits as wide-ranging as Cocoon, Apollo 13, The Da Vinci Code, Frost/Nixon and Rush, will start immediately, according to reports in industry publications Variety and The Hollywood Reporter.
The former Andy Griffith Show and Happy Days actor-turned-filmmaker has a bit of history with Lucasfilm. He appeared in founder George Lucas's classic film American Graffiti and directed the fantasy tale Willow.
Earlier this week, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy announced that the studio was parting ways with Lord and Miller. The pair had been filming the untitled project in London since January 2017, with several weeks left on the shoot schedule and was believed to be three-quarters finished shooting a script by Star Wars veteran Lawrence Kasdan and his son, Jon Kasdan.
The movie stars Alden Ehrenreich as the young space smuggler Han Solo, first introduced in Star Wars: A New Hope and played by Harrison Ford. The cast includes Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian as well as Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke and Thandie Newton.
Lord and Miller are known for smart adaptations of unlikely properties such as The Lego Movie and 21 Jump Street.
Slated for a May 2018 release, the Han Solo film is the second Star Wars anthology film after Rogue One. These titles are considered separate from the current "main trilogy," which includes The Force Awakens and the upcoming The Last Jedi.
