He may not be the director you want, but Ron Howard is ultimately the director you’re going to get for the untitled Han Solo spinoff film. Following a rocky week which saw Phil Lord and Chris Miller fired from the film for pursuing their more comedic vision of the “Star Wars” movie, Howard will now attempt to right the ship as kicks off its final three weeks of filming on July 10th, and gears up for an additional five weeks of reshoots this summer. Thus far, public statements by Lord and Miller, and Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy, have been very diplomatic, and that continues as Howard takes over in the director’s chair.
Attending the Cannes Lions on Friday (via THR), Howard called the blockbuster “a little opportunity that came my way.” That’s certainly one way to put it, but ultimately, the director says he’s been a huge “Star Wars” fan since day one, and watched George Lucas plant the seeds of the movie while they worked together on “American Graffiti.”
“I’ve been around the ‘Star Wars’ universe from the beginning,” he explained.
“We left [1977’s ‘Star Wars’] almost speechless, and I said, ‘Do you want to see it again?'” recalled about seeing the first film in theaters. ”And we got in line and waited another 90 minutes to see it twice the same day.”
Taking to Twitter, Howard again expressed has fandom, and intriguingly says he’s ready to realize the full potential of a Han Solo movie.
I'm beyond grateful to add my voice to the Star Wars Universe after being a fan since 5/25/77.
— Ron Howard (@RealRonHoward) June 22, 2017
I hope to honor the great work already done & help deliver on the promise of a Han Solo film.
— Ron Howard (@RealRonHoward) June 22, 2017
However, which names we see for the director’s credit on the film remains to be seen. It’s all a bit complicated, but Variety reports that in the case of multiple directors, the production company will decided the final credit, and inform those who worked on the movie. If there is any disagreement, then the Directors’ Guild Of America steps in. There’s also a scenario where if the DGA can’t sort it out, Disney will ultimately make the call on who the director of the film is. Given how messy this has all been, my guess is that we’re likely to see Phil Lord, Chris Miller, and Ron Howard’s name on the final credits, if only to prevent any public squabbling around the high profile movie.
The Han Solo film opens on May 25, 2018.