Edgar Wright Would Not Have Accepted Han Solo Director Position

The unravelling – and subsequent replacement – of directors for the upcoming Star Wars standalone film, a currently untitled Han Solo feature, would have not been able to land one of the hottest names in Hollywood.

Edgar Wright told Digital Spy that he would have spent little time thinking about the opportunity had it been presented to him; he would have immediately declined taking over the work started by Phil Lord and Chris Miller.

“No, they’re friends of mine – I would never do that,” he said. “Also, having been in that situation myself, the idea of finishing someone else’s movie is not something I would do on an ethical level.”

Wright had his Marvel project, Ant-Man, finished by Peyton Reed after he left, citing ‘creative difference’ for the direction of the film.

The directing duo were fired from the production after clashing with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy over the movie’s direction, according to Variety.

Both groups issued statements regarding the split, with Miller and Lord saying “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 statement from Kennedy said, “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.”

The film is scheduled to undergo several weeks of reshoots later this summer, and it has just a few weeks left of the normal production before wrapping principal photography. It is still scheduled for release less than a year from now on May 25, 2018.

For his part, Howard took to twitter to help assure fans that things will be just fine with him at the helm.

“I’m beyond grateful to add my voice to the Star Wars Universe after being a fan since 5/25/77,” Howard tweeted. “I hope to honor the great work already done & help deliver on the promise of a Han Solo film.”

As for Lord and Miller, they were at the opening of Wright’s latest project, Baby Driver.

“Phil and Chris were at the premiere last night,” Wright said. “They’re very talented guys and they’re going to be fine. Those guys are great, and they’re going to be just fine.”

Baby Driver is based on a talented, young getaway driver (Ansel Elgort) relies on the beat of his personal soundtrack to be the best in the game. When he meets the girl of his dreams (Lily James), Baby sees a chance to ditch his criminal life and make a clean getaway. But after being coerced into working for a crime boss (Kevin Spacey), he must face the music when a doomed heist threatens his life, love and freedom.

The cast also features Jon Bernthal (The Punisher, The Walking Dead), Eiza Gonzalez (Jem and the Holograms), Jon Hamm (Mad Men), and Jamie Foxx (Amazing Spider-Man 2).

It was written and directed by Edgar Wright, and produced by Nira Park, Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner. Edgar Wright, Adam Merims, James Biddle, Rachel Prior, Liza Chasin, and Michelle Wright are executive producers.

More Han Solo: A Star Wars Story:

In Defense of Ron Howard on Star Wars’s Han Solo Spinoff

Star Wars: Rian Johnson Says He Has Creative Control Over The Last Jedi

Kyle Newman Offers To Direct Han Solo Film For Free

Star Wars: Han Solo Directors Reportedly Fired After Clashing With Kathleen Kennedy