Oscar-winning director Ron Howard to direct Star Wars spin-off movie of a young Han Solo

Oscar-winning filmmaker Ron Howard is stepping into a galaxy far, far away for the upcoming “Star Wars” Han Solo spin-off movie, Lucasfilm announced on Thursday, after the film’s production was thrown into upheaval by the surprise departure of its directors.

Howard is one of Hollywood’s best known directors with films such as “Apollo 13”, “Frost/Nixon” and “A Beautiful Mind” to his credit.

Lucasfilm’s president, Kathleen Kennedy, announced on Wednesday that filmmakers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, best known for the 2014 hit “The Lego Movie,” had left the project due to creative differences.

“Phil Lord and Christopher Miller are talented filmmakers who have assembled an incredible cast and crew, but it’s become clear that we had different creative visions on this film, and we’ve decided to part ways,” Kennedy said in a statement on StarWars.com.

Kennedy announced Howard’s hiring for the film on Thursday, saying in a statement, “At Lucasfilm, we believe the highest goal of each film is to delight, carrying forward the spirit of the saga that George Lucas began forty years ago.”