There’s trouble on the production of the much-anticipated Han Solo movie.
It was announced on Tuesday that Phil Lord and Chris Miller will no longer be directing the Star Wars project – and it’s rumoured they were fired.
The duo, who have helmed 21 Jump Street and The Lego Movie, said in a statement, “Unfortunately, our vision and process weren’t aligned with our partners on this project.
Fired?: Phil Lord and Chris Miller will no longer be directing the Han Solo spinoff movie | Guillermo Proano/WENN.com
“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.”
According to Variety, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy was keeping the directors on a tight leash, and they clashed over the fact they weren’t given free rein on the movie.
“They weren’t given the leeway to do what they had to do,” a source told the publication, adding that co-writer Lawrence Kasdan also didn’t approve of some of their choices.
“Kathy, her team and Larry Kasdan have been doing it their way for a very long time. They know how the cheese is made and that’s how they want it made. It became a very polarizing set.”
“Creative differences”: The pair apparently clashed with LucasFilm president Kathleen Kennedy | YouTube
Variety reports that Lord and Miller were fired from the movie by LucasFilm, with several weeks of shooting and reshoots still scheduled.
Kennedy said in a statement that the pair “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.”
Ron Howard is rumoured to be in negotiations to take over, and Kyle Newman has offered to direct the movie for free.
The Star Wars spinoff will star Alden Ehrenreich, Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson, Donald Glover, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Thandie Newton, and is due for release on May 25th, 2018.
