LOS ANGELES: Oscar-winning filmmaker Ron Howard has been brought in to complete the hotly-anticipated “Star Wars” Han Solo spinoff after directing duo Phil Lord and Chris Miller were sacked, Lucasfilm said Thursday.
Lord and Miller, the pair behind the acclaimed “The LEGO Movie” and “21 Jump Street,” were dropped after clashing with the studio’s chief Kathleen Kennedy and writer Lawrence Kasdan, according to reports in the Hollywood trade press.
“At Lucasfilm, we believe the highest goal of each film is to delight, carrying forward the spirit of the saga that George Lucas began 40 years ago,” Kennedy said in a statement.
“With that in mind, we’re thrilled to announce that Ron Howard will step in to direct the untitled Han Solo film. We have a wonderful script, an incredible cast and crew, and the absolute commitment to make a great movie. Filming will resume on July 10.”
Lord and Miller, who were just weeks away from wrapping principal photography at London’s Pinewood Studios, annoyed Kasdan — a “Star Wars” legend who co-wrote “The Empire Strikes Back,” “Return of the Jedi” and “The Force Awakens” — by insisting on more humor and encouraging improvization, according to Variety magazine.
“Nothing happens in the Lucasfilm universe without major consideration and bringing in Ron Howard to take over the reins of the ‘Han Solo Project’ must’ve come after intense deliberation,” Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst for comScore, told AFP.
“Considering the incredibly high-profile nature of the film and its importance to the ‘Star Wars’ brand and legacy, this move — while causing a huge stir now — will be vindicated once the marketing machine sets in motion and if the first footage and resultant buzz for the film is strong.”
Howard worked with Lucasfilm on “Willow” in 1988 but is better known for hits such as “Parenthood,” “Apollo 13,” and “A Beautiful Mind,” a 2001 biopic about Nobel prize-winning paranoid schizophrenic mathematician John Nash, which won him a best director Oscar.
But his reputation has suffered with a number of turkeys, including “Inferno,” “In the Heart of the Sea,” “Made in America” and “The Dilemma,” and he will be looking to get back on track with his first big box office hit since “Angels and Demons” in 2009.
In a statement, Lord and Miller blamed “creative differences” for the split with Lucasfilm and said their “vision and process weren’t aligned with our partners on this project.”
The untitled Han Solo film is slated for a May 25, 2018 release.
Alden Ehrenreich stars as galactic smuggler Solo, a role that made Harrison Ford a superstar in the original 1977 movie and its sequels.
The spin-off also stars Woody Harrelson, Thandie Newton, Emilia Clarke and Donald Glover as Solo’s pal Lando Calrissian.
It is set in the period before the original 1977 movie, which was released as “Star Wars” but later retitled “Episode IV: A New Hope.”
This is the second in a series of standalone films that began with “Rogue One,” released in December, which earned $1 billion worldwide.
Ron Howard to take over ‘Star Wars’ Han Solo spin-off
Ron Howard to take over ‘Star Wars’ Han Solo spin-off
Cambodia takes back looted historic artifacts handled by British art dealer
- The objects were returned under a 2020 agreement between the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and the family of the late Douglas Latchford, a British art collector and dealer who allegedly had the items smuggled out of Cambodia
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: Cambodian officials on Friday received more than six dozen historic artifacts described as part of the country’s cultural heritage that had been looted during decades of war and instability.
At a ceremony attended by Deputy Prime Minister Hun Many, the 74 items were unveiled at the National Museum in Phnom Penh after their repatriation from the United Kingdom.
The objects were returned under a 2020 agreement between the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and the family of the late Douglas Latchford, a British art collector and dealer who allegedly had the items smuggled out of Cambodia.
“This substantial restitution represents one of the most important returns of Khmer cultural heritage in recent years, following major repatriations in 2021 and 2023 from the same collection,” the Culture Ministry said in a statement. “It marks a significant step forward in Cambodia’s continued efforts to recover, preserve, and restore its ancestral legacy for future generations.”
The artifacts were described as dating from the pre-Angkorian period through the height of the Angkor Empire, including “monumental sandstone sculptures, refined bronze works, and significant ritual objects.” The Angkor Empire, which extended from the ninth to the 15th century, is best known for the Angkor Wat archaeological site, the nation’s biggest tourist attraction.
Latchford was a prominent antiquities dealer who allegedly orchestrated an operation to sell looted Cambodian sculptures on the international market.
From 1970 to the 1980s, during Cambodia’s civil wars and the communist Khmer Rouge ‘s brutal reign, organized looting networks sent artifacts to Latchford, who then sold them to Western collectors, dealers, and institutions. These pieces were often physically damaged, having been pried off temple walls or other structures by the looters.
Latchford was indicted in a New York federal court in 2019 on charges including wire fraud and conspiracy. He died in 2020, aged 88, before he could be extradited to face charges.
Cambodia, like neighboring Thailand, has benefited from a trend in recent decades involving the repatriation of art and archaeological treasures. These include ancient Asian artworks as well as pieces lost or stolen during turmoil in places such as Syria, Iraq and Nazi-occupied Europe. New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the prominent institutions that has been returning illegally smuggled art, including to Cambodia.
“The ancient artifacts created and preserved by our ancestors are now being returned to Cambodia, bringing warmth and joy, following the country’s return to peace,” said Hun Many, who is the younger brother of Prime Minister Hun Manet.
