Star Wars director Ron Howard has cast his brother, Clint Howard, in Han Solo. Howard, of course, isn't the only member of the family whose made a steady living in the movie and television business over the years. While Ron was making a name for himself in roles like Opie Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show and Richie Cunningham on Happy Days, his younger brother, Clint, was featured on the boy and his bear adventure series, Gentle Ben, and in guest roles on such TV classics as Bonanza and Star Trek (as the child alien with an adult voice Balok).
Over his 50-plus year career, in fact, Clint has amassed more than 200 film and television credits, many of those in films directed by Ron. Starting with Ron's directorial debut Eat My Dust! in 1976, Clint has also appeared in Night Shift, Cocoon, Splash, Parenthood, Far and Away, The Paper, Apollo 13, EdTV, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Cinderella Man, and Frost/Nixon. The standing rule appears to be, so long as Clint is available, he will be in his big brother's movies.
Now that the dust has seemingly settled after the firing of co-directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller from Han Solo earlier this summer, Ron Howard seems to be relaxing quite nicely as the replacement for the helmer duo, and is keeping fans up-to-date on the production with regular, but not too-revealing tweets. On one of these, a fan asked if he was going to work Clint in, to which Howard responded saying, "You won't be disappointed".
You won't be disappointed— Ron Howard (@RealRonHoward) August 2, 2017
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Given the brothers' film history, it shouldn't come as a complete surprise that Clint is turning up in Ron's film. At this point in the production, it's bound to be only a cameo role. If Clint does get a speaking role of import, that's welcome, though, considering that he has a unique presence no matter what film he's in, and that he's clearly has demonstrated his acting chops over the decades.
No matter how big of a role Clint ends up having, it's great that he and his brother are carrying on with a tradition that began over 40 years ago. It's become a fun tradition for moviegoers, too, guessing where will turn up in Ron's films, similar to the way Stan Lee makes cameo appearances in most Marvel movies. The only uncertainty is whether Clint will bring his Gentle Ben bear with to play with his fellow walking carpet, Chewie.
NEXT: Ron Howard Says Han Solo is 'Coming Along Great'
Source: Ron Howard