Forty-eight hours ago, the social media world went ablaze with the news that director-duo Chris Miller and Phil Lord were dismissed from their untitled Han Solo origin movie assignment amid creative differences with Lucasfilm prexy, Kathleen Kennedy.
Principal photography began in February at London’s Pinewood Studios and much had already been completed with Miller and Lord at the helm. According to their press release via Deadline on Tuesday, Lucasfilm plans to stick to their May, 2018 release date. Many questions have been asked and much speculation has occurred about what those ‘creative differences’ might have been.
According to a release by Polygon today, those creative differences might have been between producer-scribe Lawrence Kasdan and the directors, who it was claimed set out to make their own film, not necessarily a Star Wars film. It seems they were brought on by Kennedy to bring a comedic touch. But, Miller and Lord are more well-known to their fan base as a comedy duo, not a dramatic duo with a comedic touch. Although their efforts were completely collaborative, it was apparent that the studio was not getting the film they thought they were. “Not wanting to part ways with the man who has helped define the voice of Star Wars, the Lucasfilm team decided to pursue a director who would abide by Kasdan and the studio’s vision.”
More important on the minds of the fandom was who was going to replace Lord and Miller.
Variety mentioned on Tuesday that Oscar-winning director Ron Howard was in the running. And when it was officially announced this morning, the internet went up in flames once again.
According to IMDB, Howard has 42 directorial credits to his name, including the untitled Han Solo film. He won Best Picture with producing partner Howard Grazer for A Beautiful Mind and was nominated for Director and Picture, along with Grazer and Eric Fellner for 2008’s engrossing Frost/Nixon.
With his caliber, I would have thought that the world would have embraced his new directorial assignment, but it seems that it was anything but. Many people I heard from wanted the Lord/Miller vision and don’t believe that Howard has it within him to bring this picture to fruition.
There was also concern voiced about how much of the film would be reshot. According to Variety on Tuesday, the film is still in production with several weeks of re-shoots that have been in the planning stages for quite some time.
The fan boy in me has the same questions on my mind, but realty must give way – this is a business. Disney is in the business of making money for its shareholders and has entrusted Kathleen Kennedy to steer the ship. Kasdan, who has been involved with the franchise since The Empire Strikes Back really does have his finger on the pulse of what makes Star Wars so great.
Is it enough to simply have the pulse of a forty-year-old franchise?
I don’t think it’s a secret that I wasn’t a fan of Rogue One and that I’ve needed to watch The Force Awakens a couple of times to finally warm up to it. Yes, they are Star Wars and they carry George’s vision forward, so I have respect for what they are. But they also felt too formulaic with characters that we’ve seen before in many other universes (yes, I’m looking at you MCU).
Scott Mendelson over at Forbes has an interesting premise that I agree with. “In order to be all they can be, and frankly that includes hiring writers and directors who aren’t all young(ish) white guys, the Star Wars Story films have to be able to afford to fail.” My impression of the Star Wars Story origin films was that they were meant to be bold and brash, much like the original Star Wars was in 1977.
When George Lucas pitched his Star Wars in the 1970’s no established studio wanted to take a risk on his story, despite having established himself with American Graffiti and THX-1138. We seem to be in a similar quandary today, where established directors with completely different visions for now-established characters are shown the exit because they don’t fit with the overall vision.
Mendelson makes another great point: “…as tempting as it might be to look at Kathleen Kennedy as a micromanaging producer who wants to make every Star Wars into A) her own vision of what that might look like and B) similar in tone and content to The Force Awakens, it is her reputation on the line.”
Kennedy has had a long-standing personal and working relationship with George Lucas. She understands what this universe needs and I don’t believe she would allow it to fail. At the same time, she needs to be willing to take risks.
Lord and Miller were definitely the risks this franchise was looking for. They have their own built-in fan base who would have come to see this film in droves. Yet, they weren’t necessarily fans of Star Wars and that’s where the path diverges. The long term viability of the franchise could have been put in jeopardy.
Ron Howard, who gave us the amazing Rush, Edtv, Apollo 13, Night Shift, Splash, Parenthood, Backdraft and Willow has big shoes to fill as no other director has been asked to step in so late in to a project. Given his impressive resume, I am confident that he can carry this movie forward.
“I’m taking an awful risk, Vader. This had better work.” While this is still a risk for Kennedy, it is not the same level risk as Tarkin’s was by placing the homing device on the Millennium Falcon. My confidence level in this film has not changed. With Howard at the helm, I believe Lord and Miller’s vision will be retained and that their influence in the script will give us the light touch we’re looking for. Of course, I’m one blogger with a limited voice. What do I know?
Did I mention that Ron Howard played the lead role of Steve in George Lucas’s American Graffiti along with Harrison Ford?
The Force does work in mysterious ways.
