Production turmoil isn’t exactly a foreign concept to The Walt Disney Company and Lucasfilm, unfortunately. Solo: A Star Wars Story wasn’t the smooth flight envisioned by the George Lucas-founded production company, and as such, was the last straw.
According to Star Wars News Net, the multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate is reportedly “done experimenting with new or unusual filmmakers.” After what began with the replacement of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story director, Gareth Edwards, and then occurred twice in a three-month span last year, Disney and Lucasfilm will now only turn to “proven veteran talent who they know can handle a big budget Star Wars production.”
Although the decision may seem rash, if you recall, Rogue One isn’t the only occurrence in which Disney and their directors didn’t see eye to eye. Star Wars: Episode IX lost Colin Trevorrow after Lucasfilm and him “mutually chose to part ways” last year, and a similar story played out with Phil Lord and Christopher Miller on Solo.
In each instance, mind you, the studios opted to bring someone trustworthy aboard: Tony Gilroy (Rogue One), Ron Howard (Solo) and J.J. Abrams (Episode IX) – so the decision is, at the very least, consistent.
However, seeing as those replaced do appear to have big budget success under their respective belts – Godzilla (Gareth Edwards), Jurassic World (Colin Trevorrow) – save for Lord and Miller, who nonetheless still possessed a triumphant oeuvre prior to joining the Mouse House, it’s difficult to decipher what, exactly, constitutes a “proven veteran” in the opinion of Lucasfilm and Disney.
Especially when considering Rian Johnson, director of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, was recently awarded his own trilogy, despite having only helmed a pair of features before making his way to the illustrious franchise.
