Ron Howard has spoken in greater detail than ever before about taking over “Solo: A Star Wars Story” after original directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller departed over creative differences. In an interview with Vulture, Howard said the issue came down to the movie’s tone. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy invited him to a lunch meeting with “Solo” co-writer Jonathan Kasdan to discuss the situation.
“They basically said, ‘We’ve reached a creative impasse with Lord and Miller. Would you ever consider coming in?’” Howard recalled. “I looked at some edited footage, and I saw what was bothering them. There was a studio that liked the script the way it was and wanted a ‘Star Wars’ movie, but there was a disconnect early on tonally, and they weren’t convinced that what Phil and Chris were doing was working effectively.”
Howard said he couldn’t fully judge because he hadn’t seen enough footage, but Lucasfilm was confident about the decision. “Once I said, ‘Okay, I think I can do this script, and I think I understand what you want of this script,’ they said, ‘We’d want to reshoot a lot.’ I looked at the whole movie and then pointed out some things that I thought were great. And Phil and Chris were incredibly gracious throughout that process. They were just seeing two different movies. 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’s next movie.”
Before committing to the project, Howard consulted with “Star Wars” creator George Lucas, who had no involvement in the film’s development or production. Lucas’s advice was: “Just don’t forget — it’s for 12-year-old boys.”
“Solo” was intended to launch a new wave of “Star Wars” stories, introducing younger versions of Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) and Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover), with sequels and spinoffs planned. The 2018 film even brought back Darth Maul from “The Phantom Menace.” However, these plans stalled after the movie grossed just $392 million worldwide, falling short of expectations.
Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast in 2019, Howard described the reception as “disappointing.” He said, “It made a lot of money, it just didn’t live up to expectations. I came in eager to help, felt like I could, and had a blast. Normally it takes three years, I worked eight months and had an experience. I feel very good about the way it turned out. I loved the way it played to audiences, which I witnessed. All of that I am able to feel good about.”
Howard suggested nostalgia may have played a role in the film’s underperformance. “Maybe it’s the idea that it’s too nostalgic,” he said. “That going back and revisiting an origin story for a beloved character may not be what the fans were looking for.”
Source: Variety