Ron Howard to direct Han Solo spinoff

Oscar-winning filmmaker Ron Howard will take over as director of the “Star Wars” Han Solo spinoff, Lucasfilm has announced.

His hire comes after the movie's original directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller were fired Tuesday while in the middle of production, after clashing with producer and Lucasfilm chief Kathleen Kennedy and co-writer/executive producer Lawrence Kasdan. The duo wanted to inject more humor into the storyline and encouraged improvisation, something Kasdan did not appreciate.

Howard will begin work immediately. The picture still has several weeks left on its shooting schedule, and five additional weeks of pre-scheduled reshoots that were planned for later this year. The exact amount of time and money that it will take to actually complete the production (which was about three-quarters finished when the directors were fired), will vary depending on how much rewriting and reshooting Howard deems is necessary after reviewing the script and shot footage.

Howard's credits include hits such as “Parenthood”, “The Da Vinci Code,” “Apollo 13” and  2001's “A Beautiful Mind” which won four top Academy Awards including best director and best picture.

Source: Variety