When LucasFilm hired Phil Lord and Chris Miller to make the new "Han Solo" movie, they knew they were getting a pair of directors who had mastered comedy and self-referential humor. The idea was that Disney wanted them to install the sarcastic humor that Han Solo has been known for in the Star Wars Universe. However, dailies proved that the duo was turning the Star Wars movie into a comedy and LucasFilm fired them. Oscar-winning film director Ron Howard signed on to replace them.
The 'Han Solo' director changes
The news is that much of the "Han Solo" movie has been shot.
Ron Howard will come in and LucasFilm expects him to fix the problems that they believe Phil Lord and Chris Miller caused with the feel of the film and then finish shooting it the way that Star Wars fans expect it to look. There might not be a better choice than Howard.
Much like when Marvel removed Edgar Wright from the "Ant-Man" movie, Disney also wants their Star Wars movies to remain similar in style. Phil Lord and Chris Miller have a distinctive style that turned out to be wrong for "Han Solo," at least in the eyes of the producers. Ron Howard, on the other hand, is a very nondescript director and someone who can easily make a studio picture without the bells and whistles.
Over his career, Ron Howard has picked up two Oscar nominations, winning for "A Beautiful Mind" and losing for "Frost/Nixon." Howard also has a large number of crowd pleasers in movies like "Apollo 13," "The Da Vinci Code" and "Splash." He will give LucasFilm what they want with "Han Solo."
Ron Howard is grateful
The backlash against Ron Howard was fierce on social media.
While Howard did nothing to warrant the backlash, the fact that the fans supported Phil Lord and Chris Miller worked against Howard. Lord and Miller made "21 Jump Street" and "The LEGO Movie" and have built loyal fans. Ron is a great director but has nowhere near the relationship with fans that the previous directors enjoy.
Ron Howard, himself, took to Twitter to talk about how grateful he is to get this chance. Ron said that he has been a fan since 1977 and is grateful to add his voice to the Star Wars Universe. Fans might remember that he starred in George Lucas' "American Graffiti," the last movie Lucas made before starting on "Star Wars."
Howard also said that he is excited to honor the great work that Lord and Miller had already done on the "Han Solo" movie, showing that he has respect for the filmmaking duo and might even emphasize with them.
