Oh, Han Solo. It all seemed to be going so well for Disney and Lucasfilm’s second Star Wars anthology film – a May 2018 release date had been locked in, while the past fortnight has seen scores of videos and set photos emerge online – but last night, Deadline dropped a bombshell: Phil Lord and Chris Miller had bowed out of the project citing creative differences.
Subsequent reports helped shed some light on the situation, indicating that Lord and Miller left due to the fact that their “vision and [creative] process” were no longer aligned with that of Disney’s. It’s a crushing blow for a project that had shown nothing but potential – an origin story revolving around one of, if not the most popular characters in Star Wars canon is enough to leave our tongues wagging and wallets begging – and we understand the Mouse House is already in the process of selecting a replacement. For the record, Ron Howard and Lawrence Kasdan have emerged as early contenders to pick up the torch from the outgoing Phil Lord and Chris Miller, and we’ll be keeping you right up-to-date as this saga unfolds.
Getting back to the actual Han Solo movie, though, and Woody Harrelson has once again touched base regarding his mysterious character. Garris Shrike is a name that has been floated in the past, but Disney execs quickly downplayed reports that the identity of Harrelson’s bounty hunter had already been outed.
Whatever the case, the War For the Planet of the Apes actor believes his character is more of a criminal than a mentor, which can only spell all kinds of trouble for Alden Ehrenreich’s young Solo. Here’s what Harrelson had to say in a recent interview with ComicBook.com:
I don’t know if mentor is really the right word, you know. I’m a criminal who he gets to know, and I guess, probably, I do have some influence on him. But I’m a criminal.
As things stand, the Han Solo anthology movie is still scheduled for release on May 25th, 2018. Whether that date changes though will largely depend on how quickly Disney can find a replacement for the outgoing Phil Lord and Chris Miller. Stay tuned for more on that front.
