Star Wars Stand Alone Films

Eh, he'll do fine. He's a proven hand with a history with Lucasfilm. They're not looking for a creative visionary, they're looking for someone who knows the system and how to play ball. He's also got an Oscar on the shelf which no other Star Wars director can claim (for directing, at least).

Here's the thing: If the reports that have come out in the last few days are true and the movie Lord and Miller was making felt more like a straight comedy, very unlike a Star Wars movie in style and design, and represented a fundamental misunderstanding of the Han Solo character, I'm fine with the change. It really does seem like Lord and Miller were clashing tonally with the entire Star Wars brain trust and people are saying the movie just wasn't shaping up like it should have been. And apparently they were and are pretty happy with the script (they again say so in the press release for Howard getting the gig), so the issues were presumably purely a matter of direction. They just need Howard to be workmanlike and get the job done.

Also, random thought: When Disney purchased Lucasfilm they primarily did so for Star Wars and Indiana Jones. But they also got Willow! With Ron Howard back in the fold, now is the time to re-launch the Willow franchise! Or not.