‘Solo’ Director Ron Howard Says It’s Not “Entirely Accurate” That Star Wars Spinoffs Have Been Suspended

The age of internet speculation comes with a variety of drawbacks, one of which being that if you’re the first outlet to report a rumor, you face copious amounts of backlash and denial. Following a report that Lucasfilm was putting the standalone films on hold for the foreseeable future, multiple sources have come out to refute those claims, with Solo: A Star Wars Story director Ron Howard being the latest to weigh in on the studio’s status.

When TMZ recently spotted the filmmaker, they asked him about the rumors regarding halting development on spin-off films, to which Howard replied, “I don’t think that’s entirely accurate. I think that was reported, but I don’t think that’s exactly right.”

The initial report claimed that Lucasfilm was moving forward with the previously announced films from The Last Jedi writer/director Rian Johnson and from Game of Thrones co-creators David Wenioff and D.B. Weiss, yet rumored films that focused on Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi were being put on hold. Given that those films hadn’t been announced, it’s difficult to say their status of development.

After word about this delay spread far and wide, Lucasfilm claimed that it was still moving forward with a variety of unannounced projects. Both vague reports could technically be accurate, considering the lack of official announcements about future films meaning the studio hasn’t gone back on their word.

“Everyone at Lucasfilm and Disney really cares about the fans,” Howard noted. “I think it’s an ongoing process of discovering what it can be, and what it can all add up to. So it’s a process, and I like the fact, personally, that they take some chances, take some risks, and see how people respond to it.”

Between Rogue One, Solo, and Episode IX, the studio has suffered a variety of public creative clashes that made fans worry about the direction of the saga. The bigger indicator of potential trouble came from the underwhelming response to Solo, both financially and critically. Howard went on to claim that he considered the film a success regardless.

“This movie did really well,” Howard confessed. “This movie did really well for me. I had a great experience, exit polls were great, and the reaction was terrific among fans. And… so… you know… the economic side, you know… was not what everyone was looking for.”

The truth behind various conflicting reports about the status of Lucasfilm movies being developed is anyone’s guess, though there are plenty of announced movies for fans to look forward to.

Solo: A Star Wars Story is in theaters now. Episode IX hits theaters on December 20, 2019.

What do you think is going on at Lucasfilm? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!

[H/T TMZ]