HAN SOLO Spinoff Director Ron Howard Once Called THE PHANTOM MENACE "Truly Amazing"
Now that legendary filmmaker Ron Howard has taken the reigns of the trouble Han Solo spinoff there seems to be mixed reaction from fans. Howard is an Academy Award winning director with an impressive resume but some fans are worried that he doesn't have the best taste when it comes to Star Wars.
Case and point, back in 1999, months before the release of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Howard wrote a letter to Newsweek to defend actor Jake Lloyd from criticism published by the magazine (below). Some may argue that Howard is wrong in defending Lloyd's performance, but we can all agree that he was justified in going after Newsweek for attacking a young boy so ruthlessly. But the real attention grabber comes in the next few lines of his letter.
“I have no way of knowing how accomplished or professional he may have appeared during the principle filming, but I seriously doubt these ‘insiders’ are inside enough to have seen an edited version of the new Star Wars,” Howard continued, “because I have and in my opinion, Jake Lloyd is terrific in the film (which, by the way, is truly amazing).”
You read that correctly, Ron Howard called the Phantom Menace a "truly amazing" film. Although there are probably some Star Wars fans that share his opinion, most, however, would actually call the Phantom Menace the worst of all the films. And it's doubtful any of them would describe it as "truly amazing."
Granted this all happened almost 20 years ago and at one point George Lucas even offered Howard the job to direct Episode 1 which he turned down, calling it "too daunting." So there is a chance that Howard simply called the movie "truly amazing" in an effort to avoid putting up a red flag for all of the rabid Star Wars fans that were already lining up to see The Phantom Menace on opening night.
But there is also a chance that Howard legitimately loved the movie, maybe he considers Jar Jar Binks to be the highlight of the film, and maybe, just maybe he considers Midi-chlorians to be the basis of Lucas' true genius.
Like it or not, Howard (and his taste) is either going to save Han Solo or sink with the ship when it finally comes to theaters on May 25, 2018.
What do you think? Do you put your trust in Howard, or are you worried about the outcome of the Han Solo origin story?
Great letter written by @RealRonHoward from 1999 where he defended Jake Lloyd & The Phantom Menace against an article published in Newsweek pic.twitter.com/nmuw0klCNP
— Thomas Storaï (@ThomasStorai) June 23, 2017
