As someone who was hired fairly late in the game to course-correct Solo, writer-director Ron Howard knows a thing or two about Star Wars. So when the filmmaker questions the legitimacy of those reports asserting that all future standalone movies are on ice at Lucasfilm, we’re inclined to stand up and take notice.
The Oscar winner sat down with TMZ (h/t Screen Rant) recently to discuss the director drama that threatened to engulf Solo: A Star Wars Story – long story short, Howard climbed aboard in place of the ousted Phil Lord and Chris Miller – though it wasn’t long before the outlet quizzed him about his reaction to Collider’s scoop. Spoilers: he ain’t buying it.
I don’t think that’s entirely accurate. I think that was reported, but I don’t think that’s exactly what I understand. Yeah, and I think the fans — look everybody at Lucasfilm and Disney really cares about the fans. And so, you know, I think it’s an ongoing process of like discovering what it can be and what it can all add up to. So, it’s really a process. And I like the fact that personally that they take some chances, take some risks, and see how people respond to it.
Lucasfilm has since denied the allegations, too, and stressed that there are currently “multiple” Star Wars movies in active development alongside Episode IX. One such project is the mooted Obi-Wan Kenobi spinoff, though we learned recently that it lost director Stephen Daldry just before Solo opened in theaters. And James Mangold’s Boba Fett pic? It won’t be ready for a production start until 2020.
So perhaps it’s really a question of when, rather than if, those Obi-Wan and Boba Fett movies will progress? We will, as always, be keeping a close eye on the Star Wars news front as this story unfolds.