# In 1999, Ron Howard turned down one of cinema’s biggest franchises. 19 years later, he returned in the worst possible way

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/in-1999-ron-howard-turned-down-one-of-cinemas-biggest-franchises-19-years-later-he-returned-in-the-worst-possible-way/
- Published: 2026-11-12T21:15:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-12T21:20:43+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/1999-ron-howard-turned-down-cinemas-biggest-franchises-return-19-years-later/
- Topics: Entertainment, Film

## Key points

- Howard declined a *Star Wars* directing opportunity in 1999.
- He took over *Solo* during filming in 2018.
- *Solo* became the franchise’s first box-office flop.

## Summary

Ron Howard took over directing *Solo: A Star Wars Story* in 2018 after Phil Lord and Christopher Miller left during filming over creative differences. The film, about the early adventures of Han Solo and Chewbacca, became the franchise’s first box-office flop, despite a generally favourable critical reception.

The article says Howard had turned down George Lucas’s invitation to direct one of the *Star Wars* prequel films in 1999, when Lucas was seeking other directors to helm them. Lucas ultimately directed the prequels released in 1999, 2002 and 2005, then made no further films as director. Howard joined *Solo* about three-quarters of the way through production, so the article frames his return to the franchise as an unwelcome rescue job rather than a planned project.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.