Former Han Solo Directors Reportedly Rifted Over Film’s Comedic Nature

Directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller have given us some of the most hilarious movies and TV shows of the last few years, ranging from 21 Jump Street and The LEGO Movie on the big screen to Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Last Man on Earth on the small screen. Now that the duo has parted ways from the upcoming Han Solo film, sources close to the production have been reporting that it was their flair for the comedic that led to problems throughout the shoot.

Entertainment Weekly claims that, ever since shooting the project began back in February, Lucasfilm was dismayed at the duo’s shooting style. Lucasfilm and producer Kathleen Kennedy apparently hired Lord and Miller to add a comedic “touch,” but as the weeks turned to months, the comedic elements became more and more exaggerated.

Another source close to the production, however, says it wasn’t specifically about the film incorporating too much comedy, but rather, with their comedic and improvisational style on previous films, the filmmakers encouraged too much improvisation from the actors, which ultimately started steering the film into unexpected territories.

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Considering the comedic talents of the film, like Donald Glover and Phoebe Waller-Bridge, it’s clear the cast could come up with all sorts of compelling avenues for the film to go down, which might have been too far off from Lawrence and Jon Kasdan’s script.

A source close to Lord and Miller revealed, “They thought they were brought on to make a Phil and Chris movie…sometimes they just thought the actors could do it differently.”

Despite Han Solo’s proclivity to crack wise, he has never really been established as comedic relief, so when dailies began rolling in from the shoot, it became clear how far from the original story the filmmakers were veering.

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Similar to what happened with the last Star Wars spin-off, Rogue One, reports began circulating that the film would undergo immense re-shoots to veer away from the intense war story crafted by Gareth Edwards and inject more fun into the film. As production began winding down on the Han Solo film, it sounds like Lord and Miller were uninterested in doing re-shoots the way Lucasfilm wanted them to be done, as the directors didn’t feel like those scenes were in line with what their vision of the film was shaping up to be.

Ron Howard has been announced as the director who will step in to complete the film and direct any subsequent re-shoots, with the film resuming production on July 10.

The Han Solo spin-off movie is still slated to debut in theaters May 25, 2018.

The Han Solo spinoff is filming now under director Ron Howard for a May 25, 2018 release. Alden Ehrenreich stars as a young Han Solo and Joonas Suotamo as Chewbacca in the era before Star Wars: A New Hope, before they met Leia and Luke and embarked on a galaxy-saving adventure. Donald Glover also stars as Lando Calrissian, with Woody Harrelson, Thandie Newton, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and Emilia Clarke in as-yet-unrevealed co-starring roles.