The Star Wars franchise seems to be having a renaissance, but there might be a small bump in the road: the currently unnamed Han Solo project has just lost its directors. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have both been fired from the project after clashes with the producer, Kathleen Kennedy, screenwriter Larry Kasdan, and others on the LucasFilm team.
Reportedly, Kasdan, who also wrote the screenplay for The Empire Strikes Back as well as working on the creative team for the other films, was very particular about the script, something which Lord and Miller’s style of directing didn’t mesh with. There were also clashes with Kennedy concerning various production aspects, so it seems like it was a doomed team-up from the start. No one else has been fired from the production and all of the main cast remain in their roles.
Both parties released statements on the firing on Tuesday, June 19th:
“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,” said Lord and Miller, the former directors.
“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, the producer.
What this means for the production is yet unknown, and no replacement has been named to fill in the director slot. Rumors are that Ron Howard has been tapped to take over but nothing has been confirmed. However, in order to not waste money and the actor’s time, they will have to figure out a replacement sooner rather than later, less the project get stuck in development hell.
At the time of reporting, the Han Solo spinoff is still set to debut in theaters on May 25, 2018.
