Ron Howard front-runner to take over Star Wars Han Solo movie

Ron Howard is said to be the front-runner to take over the ‘Star Wars’ Han Solo spin-off movie, after directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were sensationally fired mid-way through filming.

According to Deadline, both Howard and the movie’s co-writer Lawrence Kasdan are in the mix, with Howard being the favourite.

Kasdan has remarkable ‘Star Wars’ pedigree, however, having also written ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ and ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’.

But it’s Howard who has the blockbuster directing experience under his belt over Kasdan.

Lord and Miller, the visionary directors behind ‘The Lego Movie’ and the ’21 Jump Street’ films, were reportedly sacked from the movie after months of ‘conflict’ with Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy.

It’s said that Lord and Miller wanted the movie to be as tongue-in-cheek as their previous efforts, but balked at the lack of freedom in running their own movie and Kennedy’s ‘tight controls’ on set.

A source told Variety: “It was a culture clash from day one. She didn’t even like the way they folded their socks.

“Kathy, her team and Larry Kasdan have been doing it their way for a very long time. They know how the cheese is made and that’s how they want it made. It became a very polarizing set.”

Lucasfilm says that the movie is still on track for its release in May 2018, so whoever the replacement is, they will have to take over soon.

“Unfortunately, our vision and process weren’t aligned with our partners on this project. We normally aren’t fans of the phrase ‘creative differences’ but for once this cliché is true. We are really proud of the amazing and world-class work of our cast and crew,” said Lord and Miller in a statement.

Kennedy added: “Phil Lord and Christopher Miller are talented filmmakers who have assembled an incredible cast and crew, but it’s become clear that we had different creative visions on this film, and we’ve decided to part ways.”

It’s not the first time that the new ‘Star Wars’ movies have experienced some bumps in the road, after re-shoots were needed for ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’, writer Tony Gilroy coming in to take the reigns from Gareth Edwards.

Fans can add this news to the anxiety they may already be feeling after ‘Star Wars 9’ director Colin Trevorrow’s latest movie ‘The Book of Henry’ was given a pounding for our times at the hands of the critics on its release last week.

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