Ron Howard's latest set photo from the young Han Solo movie reveals that some of the reshoots he's been handling may consist of new scenes that weren't originally part of the plan. As fans will recall, the Oscar-winning helmsman boarded the troubled project back in June, taking over for the fired Phil Lord and Chris Miller as director. Due to their respective styles (which seemingly contrast), many have been wondering how Han Solo has changed under the new leadership. Howard has been filming the spinoff for a period of three months, with evidence suggesting he's essentially remaking the film from scratch. Initial reports indicated production would run through September, but we're basically into October and the cameras are still rolling.
One major difference that Han Solo has already seen is the departure of supporting actor Michael K. Williams, who was unable for the second wave of principal photography due to a scheduling conflict. His character was cut from the film, seemingly replaced by a new figure to be played by frequent Howard collaborator Paul Bettany. It would appear there are other adjustments being made as the crew attempts to wrap up, and some new scenes were added to the script late in the game.
Once again taking to Twitter, Howard shared a new picture of himself with actress Thandie Newton (who has an undisclosed role in Han Solo). The Westworld star has wrapped her time in the galaxy far, far away, and Howard wanted to take the time to thank Newton for her time. You can check out his post in the space below:
@thandienewton returned 2 #TheGalaxy to light up some key new #UntitledHanSolo scenes then back to #Westworld. What a powerhouse talent! pic.twitter.com/3Toldp3UtK— Ron Howard (@RealRonHoward) September 30, 2017
The key parts of Howard's caption are that Newton returned for the scenes in question and they are apparently "new." This can be interpreted in a couple of ways. It's possible that the script (which has been a huge sticking point of Han Solo) was retooled slightly amidst all the changes, and some fresh material was added. However, Howard could be referring to something else. It's important to keep in mind that Lord and Miller were let go before they wrapped their own filming, meaning there were still scenes that hadn't yet been shot before Howard came onboard. Perhaps Howard reached the part of the shooting schedule where it was simply time to capture new content, as opposed to reshooting Lord and Miller's previous footage in his own way. Since details about Newton in Han Solo are hard to come by, it's difficult to say for sure. It's unknown if she had shot anything before Howard came on, or if she was still waiting for her turn.
While it's a little concerning Han Solo is still filming as it inches closer to its May 2018 premiere date, Newton is the latest member of the case to complete her role. She joins a growing list that also includes Donald Glover, Emilia Clarke, and Bettany, so Howard is probably close to moving on to post. Hopefully, Alden Ehrenreich and Woody Harrelson are next in line, and Lucasfilm can truly try to change the conversation around the film by kickstarting the official marketing campaign.
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Source: Ron Howard
