Star Wars fans watched Han Solo meet a nasty end in 2015's The Force Awakens, but they'll soon be reunited with the cocky smuggler next year in his own movie. The second Star Wars Anthology spinoff will show what Han was up to in his younger years, and since 2015, 21 Jump Street duo Phil Lord and Chris Miller have been attached as the directors. However, in the middle of principal photography, the news just dropped that Miller and Lord are no longer directing the blockbuster set in a galaxy far, far away.
Lucasfilm announced today that Phil Lord and Chris Miller have departed the Han Solo movie. The studio's president, Kathleen Kennedy, stated that there were "different creative visions" for the movie, and thus the two sides have parted ways. A new director will be announced soon. Lord and Miller also provided their own statement, saying:
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.
The Han Solo movie kicked off filming at the very end of January, and according to THR, there are still several weeks left on the shoot. With Phil Lord and Chris Miller gone, Lucasfilm will need to scramble to find someone to not only take their place for that remaining period of time, but to also helm the reshoots scheduled for later this summer. Needless to say this is one of the odder director departures for a major blockbuster, as usually such an exit occurs before production begins. This isn't the first time a Star Wars movie has lost its director, either. Back in 2015, Lucasfilm parted ways with Fantastic Four's Josh Trank, who was expected to helm a Boba Fett movie.
Needless to say it will be tricky for Lucasfilm to not only find a new director for the Han Solo movie, but also make sure the rest of filming goes off without a hitch while maintaining the same tone and feel of what Phil Lord and Chris Miller had already shot. In any case, we'll keep you updated on who is hired to steer the spaceship that is the second Star Wars spinoff adventure.
Set years before A New Hope, the Han Solo movie will show Han Solo getting his start as one of the galaxy's most notorious smugglers, as well as other key events, including meeting Chewbacca and obtaining the Millennium Falcon. The cast includes Alden Ehrenreich as Han, Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian, Woody Harrelson as Beckett, Joonas Suotamo as Chewbacca, Emilia Clarke, Thandie Newton, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Michael K. Williams and Ian Kenny.
The Han Solo movie is still expected to blast its way into theaters in May 2018.
