And you thought we were done with the bombshells. But yeah, we’re definitely not.
Ron Howard, you know, the Academy Award winning Ron Howard, is taking over as director of the as-of-yet-untitled Han Solo film, just days after Phil Lord and Chris Miller departed the project.
Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy had this to say about it:
“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. 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.”
Reports seem to indicate the new director will meet with the cast and screen what exists of the film so he can gauge how to best complete the project.
Now, let’s remember Lord and Miller were let go with just weeks left of principal photography, which means Howard could, conceivably, have a lot to change. Which leaves us to wonder – Is there any way this movie is released on time?
The screenplay for the movie was written by Empire Strikes Back and The Force Awakens screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan and his son Jon Kasdan (The First Time).
The cast is comprised of Ehrenreich as Han Solo, Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian, Woody Harrelson as an as-yet-unnamed mentor, Emilia Clarke as mystery character and Tandie Newton as …well, yet another mystery character. Phoebe Waller-Bridge, is reported to be playing a performance-capture character.
The movie is expected to follow Han Solo before he met up with Luke Skywalker and became part of the Rebellion, though no actual details on the plot have been released.
The as-of-yet untitled Han Solo movie is still set to be released May 25, 2018.