Ron Howard tapped to take over Han Solo "Star Wars" film
Han Solo's standalone "Star Wars" movie has a new pilot.
Two days after announcing that directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller would be leaving the project, Lucasfilm has found a replacement, with veteran director Ron Howard slated to take over, the company was expected to announce Thursday. The hiring was first reported by the Hollywood Reporter.
Lord and Miller were dismissed from the film Tuesday after four months of principal photography.
Numerous reports suggested the duo -- who had hits with "21 Jump Street" and "the LEGO Movie" -- clashed too much with the working styles of producer Kathleen Kennedy and co-writer Lawrence Kasdan.
The film, which stars Alden Ehrenreich as a younger version of the "Star Wars" character made famous by Harrison Ford, is slated to be Lucasfilm's second anthology film, following last year's hit "Rogue One."
The Oscar-winning Howard has a diverse filmography, with past projects ranging in size and scope from big-budget outings like "Willow" and "Angels and Demons" to smaller films like "Parenthood" and "Frost/Nixon."
The untitled Han Solo film is set to be released May 25, 2018. Disney and Lucasfilm have made no indication of changing that release date.