In a move that has split some fans of the "Star Wars" cinematic universe, veteran director Ron Howard has been brought in to complete the still as-yet-untitled Han Solo spin-off move that was originally started by Phil Lord and Chris Miller. Lord And Miller were fired by Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm, in a short statement released on Tuesday. Howard previously worked with Lucasfilm on 1988's "Willow," a mythical sci-fi movie that performed terribly at the box office, but was later nominated for 2 Academy Awards and continues to have a cult fan following within the genre.

Crediting of directors unknown

As a large portion of the new "Star Wars" stand-alone movie has already been filmed, it remains to be seen if Howard, Lord and Miller will somehow share directing credits for the final product, or if the original directors will be scrubbed from the title card. The Directors Guild of America will have the final say in any disputes between the directors and Lucasfilm on the matter.

It has been reported that approximately 3/4 of the script had been shot before Lord and Miller were released from their contract, but that several weeks of principal photography still needs to be completed before 5 weeks of already scheduled reshoots can begin later this year. Of course, with the addition of a high-profile director such as Howard, additional weeks of filming may be added to the schedule and budget.

However, with a release date set by Lucasfilm for May 25th, 2018, it is unlikely that many extra filming days will be added.

Lucasfilm looking for fewer clashes with producers

While the official word from studio president Kennedy was that Lord and Miller were fired due to "creative differences," sources within the industry say she may be looking for Howard to create a more stable set environment.

According to Variety, Kennedy took issue with the young directors of "21 Jump Street" and "The LEGO Movie" very quickly and the pair did not respond well to the no-nonsense way she ran the production. "It was a culture clash from day one," said an on-set source, who went on to explain that the directors found that they were not granted the creative freedom they had come to expect from past films.

Lord and Miller also tried to add more humor to the script, co-written by original "Star Wars" writer Lawrence Kasdan, but were promptly discouraged from doing so.

Howard has a pair of Academy Awards for directing and producing 2001's "A Beautiful Mind." He also directed 1995's innovative space epic "Apollo 13" which was nominated for 9 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. When questioned about the possibility of directing the new "Star Wars" movie on Wednesday while promoting his NatGeo series "Genius," Howard had no comment.