On Tuesday, Lucasfilm announced that Christopher Miller and Philip Lord will no longer direct the young Han Solo movie.
The Star Wars cinematic universe was rocked on Tuesday with the news that Chris Miller and Phil Lord will no longer direct the Han Solo standalone movie. The announcement, published on StarWars.com, comes nearly five months into the film’s shoot.
In a statement, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy revealed the split originated in “different creative visions”:
"“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.”"
Lord and Miller were just as gracious in their statement, and they also cited “creative differences” in the making of the film.
"“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.”"
Kennedy assured fans that a new director “will be announced soon.”
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This news is shocking, to say the least. Removing the directors of a film from the project nearly five months into a shoot is a crazy move. But the craziness of the decision just goes to show how concerned Kennedy and Lucasfilm are about making sure each Star Wars film is the best it can be. I just wonder what “creative differences” were so irresolvable that Kennedy felt she needed to replace Miller and Lord.
The change in directors may drastically alter Disney’s plans for Star Wars at the D23 Expo in July. It was assumed that Disney would preview the Han Solo movie with footage or set photos. They still might; but if the new director reshoots the entire film, we may not see anything from it for a long time. The film’s release date could even be pushed past its original premiere date in May 2018.
We will keep our readers updated on the latest news following Lucasfilm’s announcement.