George Lucas originally wanted Ron Howard to direct ‘Star Wars: The Phantom Menace’
When the Star Wars franchise returned after 16 long years away with the first of the prequel trilogy in 1999’s The Phantom Menace, to say that fans were excited would be a tremendous understatement. Series creator George Lucas had long teased that he desired to return to the galaxy far, far away eventually, but many fans had thought that maybe this was just a pipedream as it had there had been quiet on this front for such a long time. When it actually came to fruition, the collective excitement was palpable.
However, when the movie actually dropped, with Ewan McGregor playing the young Obi-Wan Kenobi, Liam Neeson as the Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and Natalie Portman as Padme, as well as iconic characters R2-D2 and C-3PO returning, many were disappointed.
The aforementioned actors were largely celebrated for their efforts, but much of the narrative, and other characters, such as the comic relief Jar Jar Binks and the young Anakin Skywalker, played by the cruelly maligned child actor Jake Lloyd, found themselves in the firing line even from shows such as Spaced, making it the most divisive title in the whole of the franchise.
There are many stories surrounding The Phantom Menace, with one of the best coming in the form of the identity of the director George Lucas originally wanted to helm the film. This mysterious figure was the celebrated Ron Howard, the mind behind titles such as Willow and Apollo 13. However, it was not to be, but this would not be the end of the flame-haired auteur’s relationship with the franchise as he would eventually direct 2018’s space western Solo: A Star Wars Story.
In a 2018 interview with Total Film (per Metro UK), Howard discussed the time Lucas mentioned that he wanted him to direct The Phantom Menace and dismissed the rumours that it didn’t happen because he wasn’t a fan of the script. He revealed that he and Lucas only had a casual discussion about the prospect, which never went further.
“I want to clarify that a little,” Howard said of the rumours. “It was a casual conversation in a car park. It was not like I read a script and weighed it carefully. It was a knee-jerk reaction because I immediately felt like George should do it.”
Despite Howard not directing The Phantom Menace, he was one of the film’s most prominent defenders against the backlash it faced. He even sent a letter to Newsweek in response to one of their reports about the movie prior to its release and criticised their description of Jake Lloyd’s performance of Anakin Skywalker as “shameful”.
“While your ‘Buzz Wars, Episode One’ piece was generally snide and insipid, the potshot at nine-year-old Jake Lloyd was downright irresponsible,” Howard’s letter read. “Movies are subject to public scrutiny, yes, but for Newsweek to attack a child’s performance based on rumour and without even having seen the movie is shameful.”
