Directors Phil Lord, Chris Miller exit ‘Han Solo’ film

Fans may be shocked and concerned to learn the big news that the new Han Solo film is without a director as Phil Lord and Christopher Miller has exited Han Solo due to “creative differences.”

Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said Tuesday that the Star Wars spin-off was losing the Lego Movie creators due to different creative visions on the film and assured fans that a new director would be announced soon.

“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,” the directors said in a joint statement Tuesday. “We are really proud of the amazing and world-class work of our cast and crew.”

Below is the official statement.

According to Variety, the split came because Lord and Miller’s improvisational style clashed with how Kennedy liked a tightly controlled set. “It was a culture clash from day one,” the source said. “She didn’t even like the way they folded their socks.”

Variety continues:

The source said that while Lord and Miller were supposedly hired for their vision and distinctive brand of filmmaking when it came to the “Star Wars” production, Kennedy did not approve of their shooting style and process of interacting with actors and crew. “They weren’t given the leeway to do what they had to do,” the source said.

Lord and Miller also clashed with co-writer and executive producer Lawrence Kasdan, which THR reports as well. A source tells THR that Lord and Miller’s view of Han Solo clashed with what Kasdan wanted: “People need to understand that Han Solo is not a comedic personality. He’s sarcastic and selfish,” said that source. Kennedy, who had worked with Kasdan for decades, backed her longtime colleague over the directors.

Filming for the project was in London since January 2017 with stars Alden Ehrenreich as the young Han Solo and Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian.

The supporting cast includes Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke and Thandie Newton.

Harrelson plays a scoundrel named Beckett, a likely mentor to Solo. Joonas Suotamo will fill the giant Wookie suit as Chewbecca after working as the double in Force Awakens.

The script comes from Lawrence and Jon Kasdan, and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy is producing alongside Allison Shearmur, Simon Emanuel, and co-producers Kiri Hart, Susan Towner, and Will Allegra.

The untitled Han Solo film is still slated for a May 2018 release.

Here’s the official statement from Lucasfilm:

The untitled Han Solo film will move forward with a directorial change.

“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,” said Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm.

“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. We are really proud of the amazing and world-class work of our cast and crew,” stated Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.