A shock piece of news has emerged from the set of the latest Star Wars spin-off film, the untitled project that will explore the background of everybody's favourite smuggler, Han Solo: directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller are leaving the movie.
It's even more of a surprise given that A) all seemed to be going well, including an appearance by the directors on a charity video offering a set visit and B) the fact that the production has been going on for five months already, with surely a fair chunk of the footage already in the can.
Yet it's true, as per an official statement from Lucasfilm. "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. A new director will be announced soon," says Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy.
“Unfortunately, our vision and process weren’t aligned with our partners on this project. We normally aren’t fans of the phrase ‘creative differences’ but for once this cliché is true," add the directors. "We are really proud of the amazing and world-class work of our cast and crew." Varety brought further information, including the fact that the clash of cultures had been such that the directors were fired.
With Alden Ehrenreich playing the younger Solo, the film also features Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Donald Glover and Thandie Newton. According to the statement, a new director (or team) will be announced soon and the scheduled release for May 2018 remains in place.