Ron Howard will now be piloting the Millennium Falcon—and he couldn’t be more pleased. According to Variety, Howard told an audience at the Cannes-Lion advertising and media conference that he’s “been a fan forever” and “it’s gratifying to be asked to lend my voice to the [Star Wars] universe.”
Thursday, Howard was announced as the replacement to ousted directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller. On Friday, he faced the press for the first time.
Howard heard about plans for the original Star Wars long before it hit theaters. While acting in George Lucas’ American Graffiti, the director told him about a “fun” sci-fi movie that he was going to be directing. (The American Graffiti cast also included Harrison Ford, who would end up starring as Han Solo in the original Star Wars.) Howard and his wife would eventually go to see Star Wars twice—waiting in line for a number of hours to view it.
Shooting on the Han Solo spinoff will resume July 10.
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