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George Lucas’ legacy is a masterclass in creative perseverance—a testament to expanding the Star Wars universe and diving into the rich, complex character arcs that make the prequels so compelling.
In this article, we get to read the words of wisdom from none other than Solo: A Star Wars Story director, Ron Howard.
How Did Ron Howard End Up Directing Solo: A Star Wars Story?
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Speaking to Vulture, Howard opened up about how he ended up helming Solo: A Star Wars Story, after Lucasfilm ditched the project’s original directorial duo, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, of The Lego Movie and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
According to Howard, the studio had “reached a creative impasse with Lord and Miller” during an impromptu breakfast meeting with Lucasfilm president Katherine Kennedy. At the time, Howard was offered to step in.
“They basically said, ‘We’ve reached a creative impasse with Lord and Miller. Would you ever consider coming in?’” Howard said, adding that they had shown some of the footage Lord and Miller had already shot.
Howard immediately saw “what was bothering” Lucasfilm, and it was also around this time that he managed to speak with none other than Star Wars’ legendary creator, writer, and director George Lucas, who had advice of his own to offer.
“I talked to [Lucas] once early, when I was just thinking about doing it,” Howard explained, “He wasn’t active on the films, but he said, ‘Just don’t forget — it’s for 12-year-old boys”, which evidently grounded the franchise on what demographic their movies really are for.
How Did Ron Howard Change Solo’s Course Under His Helm?
Initially, the studio “liked the way the script was” for a Star Wars movie, but it was the disconnection from the tone that didn’t convince Lucas and Kennedy that Phil and Chris were the right fit for Solo.
“I couldn’t judge that because I didn’t see enough of it to know. But they were sure,” Howard continued to say, they went through a lot of reshoots, and retained some of the scenes that “Howard liked” that left the duo “incredibly gracious throughout.”
“They were just seeing two different movies,” Howard added, “So I came in, I had a blast, but there’s nothing personal about that film whatsoever. It’s still just a shame. I can’t wait for Phil and Chris’ next movie.”
Howard did his job, as Disney asked, and the Han Solo standalone film only left fans disappointed, considering that the movie grossed $393 million worldwide on a massive budget of $250 million.
The underperformance only led Howard to reflect on what went wrong, concluding that perhaps the Han Solo spinoff was “too nostalgic” and that revisiting the origin story “may not be what the fans were looking for.”
Despite Lucas’ advice to Howard, perhaps it had been a different strategic direction that flipped the plan. In this case, taking a more kid-friendly tone with the standalone film may have done wonders, as it should have been a more lighthearted take on Solo.
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