Hot on the heels of news breaking overnight of directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller departing Disney’s upcoming Han Solo movie, now comes an update on who might replace the pair on the 2018 picture.

As per both Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter, the current word is that two names are currently being considered to take over the director’s chair: Ron Howard and Lawrence Kasdan.

Apollo 13 and A Beautiful Mind helmer Howard is currently attached to a whole host of projects in various stages of development, but he isn’t actually shooting anything right at this moment – which, given that the Han effort is currently in production, is a major bonus. As for Kasdan, he’s been involved with the Star Wars franchise as far back as Irvin Kershner’s The Empire Strikes Back and has actually penned the script with son Jon for the Han Solo movie in question. Elsewhere, there are also some mild rumours that The Rocketeer and Captain America: The First Avenger’s Joe Johnston may be well be another in the running for the Solo gig, too.

Still to be titled, this Han-driven movie will look at how Solo became the loveable scoundrel who we were all first introduced to in Mos Eisley back in 1977. On board as the young scruffy-looking nerf-herder is Alden Ehrenreich, with Donald Glover playing Lando Calrissian, Woody Harrelson as a mentor figure called Beckett, The Force Awakens’ Joonas Suotamo as Chewbacca, and unknown roles for Emilia Clarke, Thandie Newton, Michael K. Williams, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

At present, the film is still booked in for a May 25th, 2018 release.

Expect more on all of this as it develops.