Ron Howard , who worked with Lucas on the movie American Graffiti , was the favorite to replace the director in Solo : A Star Wars Story .
It was reported that Ron Howard , who had previously collaborated with Lucas in American Graffiti ( 1973 ) , and turned down an offer to direct Star Wars : Episode I – The Phantom Menace , was a frontrunner to step in as director .
Solo-COLON- A Star Wars Story