Smuggler. Scoundrel. Hero?
Two months ago, and after losing erstwhile directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller due to creative differences regarding tone and style, it looked as though Disney and Lucasfilm’s Han Solo anthology movie was on the verge of becoming a rudderless ship. As it turned out, that period of uncertainty lasted for only 72 hours, at which point the Mouse House drafted in Oscar-winning director Ron Howard to shepherd its Star Wars spinoff over the finish line.
Even by Lucasfilm’s standards, it proved to be a remarkably quick turnaround, given the company is no stranger to replacing its personnel mid-way through production. And though it’s unlikely that we’ll ever know the full extent of the fallout between both parties – in their defense, Lord and Miller claimed that they were operating under a near-impossible schedule – Donald Glover has compared the sudden director changeover to being caught up in a parental divorce.
The actor, who is on board to play the young, smooth-talking Lando Calrissian, spoke to The Hollywood Reporter (via Screen Rant) about what it was like to experience that switcheroo on the ground level.
Ron is such a legend, and he knows exactly what the vision for what he is doing is … [but Phil and Chris] hired us, so you sort of feel like, ‘I know I’m not your first choice …’ And you worry about that. To be honest, I don’t know exactly what happened. I feel like I was the baby in the divorce, or the youngest child. The oldest child is like, ‘We know what’s happening, but we are keeping you out of it.’ And I’m just like, [Glover’s voice rises several octaves] ‘Was that scene good? How did you feel?’
Fast forward to now and as the slew of set photos attest, Howard’s Han Solo movie is still a work-in-progress. Glover, meanwhile, continues to be one of the most prolific actors, writers, and producers in the business, and is currently pulling the pieces together for the second season of hit music drama, Atlanta.
The so-far untitled Han Solo has been booked in for release on May 25th, 2018.
Published: Aug 9, 2017 11:13 am