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Phil Lord and Christopher Miller are out as directors on the upcoming Han Solo Star Wars spinoff, and reports of a replacement are already cropping up. But with rumors that Oscar-winning, pleasant-voiced director Ron Howard is taking over for them still unconfirmed, Twitter is biding their time by making them into a meme.
Deadline first reported that Howard was heir apparent to the Han Solo project last night, just hours after Lucasfilm announced that it had dropped Lord and Miller over “creative differences.” Sourcing is light on the Howard rumors, though, with Deadline noting that screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan is also among the names being thrown around.
Instead of putting much faith into the Howard rumor, Twitter’s instead seizing on the chance to make a new goof. To a certain generation, Howard is known more for his work on cult classic TV comedy Arrested Development than his filmography. The director played the part of the sitcom’s narrator through all four of its seasons, his snarky, contradictory tone establishing him as a character in his own right.
The “Ron Howard narrator voice” is already an easy joke construction, but this Star Wars spinoff debacle is probably its best fit ever.
Petition to have the Ron Howard Narrator as the Voice of the Force be Star Wars canon
— Arthur Chu (@arthur_affect) June 21, 2017
If Ron Howard directs 'Han Solo,' I need him to also narrate it Arrested Development-style. pic.twitter.com/CvaYC4eXRI
— Carlin! (@nerdlunch) June 21, 2017
Phil Lord: Everything's going great on the Han Solo set.
— Sam Adams (@SamuelAAdams) June 21, 2017
Chris Miller: We should be finished soon.
Ron Howard (voiceover): They weren't.
Han Solo: "Greedo shot first."
— Rachelle Goguen (@rachellegoguen) June 21, 2017
Ron Howard Voice: "He didn't." https://t.co/sV5OBS4qTd
Han Solo: I can make that run in less than 10 parsecs, easy.
— Kwame Opam (@kwameopam) June 21, 2017
Ron Howard: He made it in under 12.
[Extremely Ron Howard as narrator voice]
— Eòghann MacLeòid (@eoghannmacleoid) June 21, 2017
Ron Howard was a terrible replacement. https://t.co/1WJa0p4Npz
Disney: Now everyone is happy!
— Ya Boi Oryx!!! (@Hellburger99) June 21, 2017
*Ron Howard as the narrator* No, they weren't.
It helps that Arrested Development gave us this great line, tying Howard to Star Wars even more closely:
Like all memes, this one will either die or get old by the end of the day. Maybe Disney and Lucasfilm will speak out on the Ron Howard rumors before that happens. The untitled Han Solo film is set to hit theaters in May 2018, with the majority of filming reportedly already complete.
