Lucasfilm
Update, June 23: Ron Howard, whose directing credits include: Apollo 13 and Rushhas been appointed director of the forthcoming Star Wars Han Solo spin-off. Howard replaces The Lego movie and 21 Jump Street directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who left midway through production citing “creative differences.”
“At Lucasfilm, we believe that the highest purpose of any film is to enjoy and continue the spirit of the saga that George Lucas began 40 years ago,” Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said in a statement. “With that in mind, we are excited to announce that Ron Howard will step in to direct the unnamed Han Solo movie. We have a beautiful script, an incredible cast and crew, and the absolute commitment to make a great movie.” . Filming will resume on July 10.”
“I am beyond grateful to be adding my voice to the Star Wars universe after being a fan since 5/25/77,” Howard wrote on Twitter. “I hope to honor the great work that has already been done and help fulfill the promise of a Han Solo film.”
Original story
The directors of the coming Star Wars The Han Solo spin-off halted the project midway through production. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller – whose directing credits include: The Lego movie and 21 Jump Street-have mentioned “creative differences” before leaving the production, in which Alden Ehrenreich plays a young version of Han Solo.
“Unfortunately, our vision and process were not aligned with our partners in this project,” Lord and Miller said in a statement. “Normally we’re not a fan of the expression ‘creative differences’, but this cliché is true for once. We are really proud of the great world-class work of our cast and crew.”
“Phil Lord and Christopher Miller are talented filmmakers who have assembled an incredible cast and crew,” said Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy. “But it has become clear that we had different creative visions for this film and we have decided to part ways.”
Lord and Miller signed on to direct the Han Solo spin-off in 2015. Shooting of the untitled film (but codenamed “Red Cup”) began in February at London’s Pinewood Studios. While no replacement director has been named, the film is reportedly still on track for a May 25, 2018 release.
Lord and Miller’s ironic sensibility was largely the reason they were hired on the project, according to a report by Variety. However, the pair faced conflict with producer Kathleen Kennedy and co-writer and executive producer Lawrence Kasdan, who wrote the scripts for Empire strikes back and The power awakens. The directors did not leave voluntarily, but were fired by Lucasfilm, the report said.
“Miller and Lord were stunned to find that they were not given the freedom to direct the production in the way they were used to. They objected to Kennedy’s tight control on the set,” it reads. Variety report. “Kennedy didn’t approve of their shooting style and interaction with actors and crew. They weren’t given the space to do what they had to do.”
According to a report from Deadline, Ron Howard has emerged as the frontrunner to replace Lord and Miller.
List image by Lucasfilm