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And Now We Have the Scuttlebutt on Why Lord & Miller Were Fired from the Han Solo 'Star Wars' Film

By Dustin Rowles | Star Wars | June 21, 2017 |

By Dustin Rowles | Star Wars | June 21, 2017 |


Last night, we reported that Christopher Miller and Phil Lord quit the Han Solo Star Wars film midway with only three weeks of shooting left. That seemed highly unusual, and didn’t make a lot of sense. Now, Variety has the scuttlebutt. Lord and Miller didn’t quit. They were fired.

A person with knowledge of the production said that the chemistry between the directors and Kennedy was never right.

“It was a culture clash from day one,” the source said. “She didn’t even like the way they folded their socks.”

The source said that while Lord and Miller were supposedly hired for their vision and distinctive brand of filmmaking when it came to the “Star Wars” production, Kennedy did not approve of their shooting style and process of interacting with actors and crew. “They weren’t given the leeway to do what they had to do,” the source said.

The duo also clashed with Kasdan, who has been an integral creative part of several “Star Wars” movies, dating back the the 1980 “The Empire Strikes Back.” Like Kennedy, he questioned many of the pair’s directing 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,” said the source. “It became a very polarizing set.”

In other words, the veteran Star Wars team wanted to bring in some young hot, talented hot shots, and then they wanted to control them and ensure that this Star Wars film was made like every other Star Wars film because Kathleen Kennedy, et. al, have no interest in upsetting the apple cart, so long as the apple cart continues to bring in billions of dollars.

Shame, that. Because while I have generally loved the first two Star Wars films under the Disney banner, one would hate to see the Star Wars franchise fall into that rut Marvel was in. Lord & Miller no doubt had a different vision, and based on their track record, it’s the vision that probably would have produced a better, more original film, but not necessarily the most profitable one. Kennedy could apparently mold a newbie like Gareth Edwards, but as we have seen from their phenomenal output so far, Lord & Miller can’t be contained.

I have no doubt that the Han Solo film will still be very good (Ron Howard is apparently rumored to take over, and he is the most high-profile hired hand in the business, no offense), but man: I would really have loved to have seen the Lord & Miller version. Unfortunately, it will forever live in the same bin where Edgar Wright’s Ant Man resides.

Source: Variety