Solo: A Star Wars Story director Ron Howard is just about done with post-production on the spinoff, revealing his edit of the film is locked in place. This development marks the end of a long and winding journey for the film, which started principal photography in February 2017 under the watch of LEGO Movie duo Phil Lord & Chris Miller. As many know by now, the directors were fired four months into production due to creative differences with Lucasfilm, and Howard was brought in a few days later to bring the movie across the finish line.
Howard started work on Solo in June 2017, and as time went on, it became clear he wasn't simply finishing up the three weeks Lord & Miller had left prior to their dismissal. According to reports, the Oscar-winner oversaw substantial reshoots, essentially remaking Solo in its entirety. Per Paul Bettany (who plays crime boss Dryden Vos in the film), Lucasfilm was so impressed with Howard's approach, they kept giving him more to do. The studio's faith in the director seems to have been well-placed, as Solo is on course for its arrival this May.
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Over the past week or so, Howard has taken to his various social media accounts to share behind-the-scenes snippets of the film's post-production (John Powell conducting his score, etc.). When a follower expressed concern that Solo wasn't finished this close to release, Howard replied in an effort to alleviate any fears. From the sound of things, Solo is locked:
Earlier today, Howard tweeted that he's "well into the final sound mix," so it's not clear if he has wrapped the film now or if there are some touches left to be done. In either case, this is great news, illustrating how incredibly efficient Howard was at steering Solo back on track amidst the chaos. It's apparent he had a very steady hand behind the wheel with a clear vision of what he wanted out of Lawrence and Jon Kasdan's script. There are still about two months before Solo opens (many movies aren't locked until closer to their premiere). For comparison's sake, Rian Johnson finished Last Jedi three months before release, and J.J. Abrams completed Force Awakens a month prior to its debut. It's nice to know Howard can now rest easy before the press tour, with all of the major work done.
Lucasfilm, however, is just getting started. Last month saw the release of the long-awaited teaser trailer, but the studio has yet to crank up the marketing machine to 11. That'll come in due time, and we expect there will be a major advertising push in April to drum up excitement. The teaser was generally well-received, so hopefully that'll be a harbinger of things to come. In fact, early box office predictions indicate a very fruitful opening weekend, so everything seems to be in great shape for Howard and Solo.
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Source: Ron Howard
