Creative differences.
That was the resounding message from Lucasfilm after its decision to part ways with Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the erstwhile directors of Solo: A Star Wars Story. History tells us that Ron Howard was appointed a mere 72 hours later, but early on in the film’s development, it’s now being reported that Lord and Miller, whose past credits include 21 Jump Street and The LEGO Movie, looked to Guardians of the Galaxy for inspiration.
So rather than harness that old-school Star Wars legacy in the vein of Rogue One, The Wall Street Journal (h/t CBM) is alleging that Phil Lord and Chris Miller opted for a decidedly different approach, resulting in numerous takes and an overworked crew.
One source familiar with the situation offered the following intel to WSJ:
Ron wanted to go back to the spirit of the original trilogy, while Phil and Chris were looking forward to something new, more like Guardians of the Galaxy.
The result? Solo: A Star Wars Story was beginning to feel like a rudderless ship, and it was only when Ron Howard climbed aboard that Lucasfilm’s confidence in the project was restored. So much so, that the director reportedly reshot 70 percent of the movie. That figure has been tossed around in the past, though it’s only now that it’s emerged via The Wall Street Journal that fans are beginning to stand up and take notice.
As soon as Phil Lord and Chris Miller were removed from their post – word is they’ll still receive an executive producer credit – everyone knew that their inevitable successor would have a huge task on his hands, and sure enough, it seems Ron Howard faced an uphill battle in order to make deadline.
But with only two weeks standing between now and release, Solo: A Star Wars Story is done and dusted, so it’ll be interesting to gauge how audiences react to the movie after such a tumultuous spell in development. Then again, Rogue One emerged relatively unscathed after its own production woes and soared to a whopping $1.05 billion gross.
