Lord & Miller Fired from Han Solo Movie

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Yesterday the Star Wars website posted a message informing fans that a “directorial change” will be taking place, and that Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were leaving the untitled Han Solo movie due to creative differences. This comes as a surprise as the movie had only 3 weeks left of principle photography.

The untitled Han Solo film will move forward with a directorial change.

“Phil Lord and Christopher Miller are talented filmmakers who have assembled an incredible cast and crew, but it’s become clear that we had different creative visions on this film, and we’ve decided to part ways. A new director will be announced soon,” said Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm.

“Unfortunately, our vision and process weren’t aligned with our partners on this project. We normally aren’t fans of the phrase ‘creative differences’ but for once this cliché is true. We are really proud of the amazing and world-class work of our cast and crew,” stated Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.

However, shortly after this statement was released, sources close to the production have clarified the situation, saying that Lord & Miller’s departure was not a mutual agreement, and they were in fact fired from the production. THR reported;

“The friction was felt almost immediately into shooting, sources say, but the directors always thought it would be worked through. Kennedy, the producer and head of Lucasfilm, decided to back her lifelong colleague, who shaped much of Solo’s character in Empire and ‪Return of the Jedi and who had a specific tone in mind for the new movie. The duo also didn’t feel they had the support of producer Allison Shearmur, who was acting as Lucasfilm’s representative on the London set.”

han solo

So the question remains as to why they were let go so late in the production, at a time when the finishing line is in sight. Surely if there were tensions or a difference of vision, they should have worked this out in pre-production.

So far no replacement has been announced, however it is rumoured that Ron Howard is a front runner to take the helm.

In the time it will take to find and lock in the replacement, apparently work is being done on the currently shot footage to see what can be done, and what needs to be re-shot.

The movie is still slated for a May 2018 release.