Things might finally be settling down for Lucasfilm now that the studio has Ron Howard to replace former Han Solo directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, however it looks like fans are still trying to make sure that the filmmaker's a good choice for the Star Wars franchise.
Netizens have been digging into Howard's history to make sure that the new Han Solo director has a strong Star Wars connection and it turns out that one fan's investigation has managed to resurface an open letter the director sent to a critic for his negative review of The Phantom Menace.
Posting on Twitter, Star Wars fan Thomas Storai shared a letter Howard wrote in 199 in response to a Newsweek review of The Phantom Menace and actor Jake Lloyd. Newsweek had criticized Lloyd's performance in its article and Howard felt like "The pot shot at nine year old Lloyd was downright irresponsible."
"I have no way of knowing how accomplished or professional he may have appeared during principal filming, but I seriously doubt these 'insiders' are inside enough to have seen an edited version of the new Star Wars, because I have and in my opinion, Jake Lloyd is terrific in the film (which, by the way, is truly amazing)."
"Movies are subject to public scrutiny, yes, but for Newsweek to attack a child's performance based on a rumor and without even having seen the movie is shameful."
"As someone who began acting professionally at an early age, I can assure you that nine year old Jake Lloyd is quite capable of reading, understanding and feeling the full humiliation of a piece like that."
The prequels are notorious for the negative reviews that it's gained from fans, so to see Howard strongly defending Lloyd and The Phantom Menace is a good sign that the filmmaker has a lot of respect for the franchise.
Han Solo debuts on May 25, 2018.
Read: Chris Miller Tweets A Mysterious Star Wars Quote After Getting Chopped Off Han Solo
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