Ron Howard recently shared the advice George Lucas gave him about making a Star Wars movie — that the franchise is mainly for “12-year-old boys.”
In an interview with Vulture, Howard talked about how he ended up directing Solo: A Star Wars Story after Lucasfilm let go of the original directors, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, known for The Lego Movie and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
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Howard said it all began during an unplanned breakfast with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, where he was told the studio had hit “a creative impasse with Lord and Miller” and asked if he would take over.
I’d always been curious about Star Wars, and Solo landed in my lap when I didn’t have another movie set to go. My wife, Cheryl, and I were vacationing in Paris. I went to London to see Hans Zimmer play at the O2, and I reached out to Kathy Kennedy just to say ‘hi.’ And she said, ‘Do you want to come to breakfast?’ I said, ‘Okay.
Howard said, when asked about the movie’s behind the scenes drama
The meeting soon turned into a small discussion on the future of the struggling Star Wars spin-off, with producer Alli Shearmur from Rogue One and Solo writer Jon Kasdan also joining in.
They basically said, ‘We’ve reached a creative impasse with Lord and Miller. Would you ever consider coming in?
Howard said he took some time before agreeing to the job, during which he watched footage already filmed by Lord and Miller — and quickly understood “what was bothering” Lucasfilm.
Around then, he also spoke with Star Wars creator George Lucas, who shared his advice.
I talked to [Lucas] once early, when I was just thinking about doing it. He wasn’t active on the films, but he said, ‘Just don’t forget — it’s for 12-year-old boys.
Howard said
Under Howard’s direction, Solo was finished and released in May 2018, but it failed at the box office — a result often linked to the behind-the-scenes struggles.
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. I couldn’t judge that because I didn’t see enough of it to know. But they were sure.
Howard said
Lucasfilm asked Howard to “reshoot a lot” of what Lord and Miller had done, though he kept some scenes he liked, noting that the duo stayed “incredibly gracious throughout.”
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’ next movie.
Howard concluded
Source: IGN