Joe Brody said:
There's some strange irony (or something) here.
Spielberg never got to direct a Star Wars flick but Richie Cunningham does?
Seriously Kathleen Kennedy? You can't do better than that?
Howard's films are inert and devoid of emotion. I can't see what drove this decision beyond desperation and/or economics (he's had such a streak of flops, I guess he came cheap).
Spielberg was asked just last year(when he directed "The BFG" for Disney) in a interview if he'd ever direct a Star Wars movie. He stated pretty clearly "I'm never going to make a Star Wars movie. It's not my genre." I suppose he could've been persuaded if the price was high enough, but it's clearly not of much to him(considering how closely tied he is to that
other Lucasfilm brand).
We're all kind of in speculation mode as to what has happened, but as Moedred pointed out, it seems Lord and Miller were likely making this project their own at the expense of Kasdan's writing and the brand at large and how its perceived. Howard, as you've pointed out, doesn't have much of a vision, and is, at best, Spielberg-lite. Basically, unlike Lord and Miller, he'll just shoot it "as is", and will do whatever Lucasfilm tells him to do.
Which is too bad. I was actually starting to look forward to this film
because of the different director sensibilities and the chance for this film to break out from what we perceive as "Star Wars" and give us something new and exciting, as I've gotten a little bored with Star Wars since Disney's acquisition. But ultimately, that's how business goes.