Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the directors of the upcoming Han Solo spin-off film, have left the film four months into production. The duo parted ways with Disney[1] and Lucasfilm[2] citing "creative differences".
“Unfortunately, our vision and process weren’t aligned with our partners on this project," Lord and Miller said[3] in a statement. "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."
“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," Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said. "A new director will be announced soon."
As troubling as this news is for Star Wars[4] fans, it's even more puzzling given such situations usually arise at the start of production. The untitled film – scheduled for a May 2018 release – only had a few weeks left to wrap up the shoot. It's a highly unusual move, one that will no doubt be looked back upon should the finished product not deliver as expected.
Lord and Miller rose to fame in Hollywood after the success of The Lego Movie[5], alongside 21 Jump Street and its sequel, 22 Jump Street. They will also be involved in the writing process for The Lego Movie Sequel, as well as the upcoming animated Spider-Man film. It's unclear whether and how they'll be credited on the Han Solo film.
According to Variety's[6] sources, Lord and Miller's departure was due to their constant conflict with Kennedy,...