Given the current state of social media, users are far more concerned with having the first reaction to any breaking news than having anything interesting to say, so when it was announced that directors Chris Miller and Phil Lord were leaving the Han Solo film, everyone was quick to fire their quip, with each user thinking they were incredibly clever. Two of the most popular reactions were to quote the saga’s seminal line, “I have a bad feeling about this,” with others referencing the sequence in which Han shoots Greedo in Star Wars, saying that these directors “shot first.”
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When rumors began to circulate about Ron Howard possibly taking over the directorial duties, an all-new series of jokes started to roll in, with all of them being a reference to Howard’s role as a narrator in the sitcom Arrested Development.
In the sitcom, one of the running gags was to show a character make any sort of declarative statement, but with the show full of many underhanded characters, Howard’s narrator would clarify, “They didn’t,” or “She wasn’t.” Add this gag to any number of Star Wars references, and a meme is born.
If Ron Howard directs ‘Han Solo,’ I need him to also narrate it Arrested Development-style. pic.twitter.com/CvaYC4eXRI
โ Carlin! (@nerdlunch) June 21, 2017
Han Solo: “Greedo shot first.”
โ Rachelle Goguen (@rachellegoguen) June 21, 2017
Ron Howard Voice: “He didn’t.” https://t.co/sV5OBS4qTd
Disney: Now everyone is happy!
*Ron Howard as the narrator* No, they weren’t.
โ Ya Boi Oryx!!! (@Hellburger99) June 21, 2017
The surprise announcement came Tuesday evening with a statement directly from Lucasfilm.
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“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. A new director will be announced soon,” Kathleen Kennedy said in a statement.
Lord and Miller also released a statement, saying, “Unfortunately, our vision and process weren’t aligned with our partners on this project. We normally aren’t fans of the phrase ‘creative differences’ but for once this clichรฉ is true. We are really proud of the amazing and world-class work of our cast and crew.”
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In addition to Howard being considered for the directing gig, other names that have been tossed in the ring are Lawrence Kasdan, who co-wrote The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens in addition to the Han Solo spin-off, as well as Joe Johnston, who previously directed The Rocketeer and Captain America: The First Avenger.
The untitled Han Solo movie will be in theaters May 25, 2018.