Chris Miller and Phil Lord have broken their silence about leavingSolo: A Star Wars Storyand how it made them better filmmakers. While it didn’t come as a complete shock over the summer when Disney and Lucasfilm decided to part ways with Lord and Miller, it was still a surprise since so much of the movie had reportedly already been completed by the duo. Disney sited creative differences for the split, which seems to have been the case, and now the directors are sharing their side of the story for the first time.
At a panel for their MTV animated seriesClone Highat the Vulture Festival in L.A. over the weekend,Chris MillerandPhil Lorddiscussed their experience of being fired from the youngHan Solomovie. When asked about the experience, Lord was positive about the incident and said that shooting the movie was great and that they had a wonderful cast and crew. Lord explains.
“The experience of shooting the movie was wonderful. We had the most incredible cast and crew and collaborators. I think in terms of us leaving the project, I think everybody went in with really good intentions and our approach to making the movie was different than theirs. That was a really big gap to bridge, and it proved to be too big.”
Lord’s sentiment echoes whatDisney and Lucasfilmsaid about the split as well. At the time that the duo was let go, it was strongly rumored that they were going for a more comedic approach for the movie and it didn’t mesh with what Lucasfilm had in mind. Phil Lord went on to say that it was “sad” and “disappointing,” but ultimately that he and Chris Miller are better for the process. In addition, he wished the project and crew all of the best, stating that they’re proud of the work that they did. He had this to say.
“Sometimes people break up, and it’s really sad, and it’s really disappointing, but it happens and we learned a lot from our collaborators and we’re better filmmakers for it. We’re really proud of the work we did on the movie and we wish everybody the best.”
While Lord and Miller are supportive ofthe Han Solo movie, it would seem that they more than likely will not see the movie when it comes out. Much like Edgar Wright’s experience while working onAnt-Manand more recently Zack Snyder handing over the reins forJustice League.
Chris Miller backed up what Phil Lord said about the experience and said that they’re “rooting” for the project. Miller also had time to have fun with the audience, joking that they were drunk and “well adjusted.” Miller explains.
“We’re super well-adjusted, obviously we’re doing great. We’re super drunk right now. As Phil said, we had such a great relationship with cast and crew, we were really rooting for them. After we took a much-needed vacation, we got back into it and now we’re writing and producing a sequel toThe LEGO Movieand producing a Miles Morales animatedSpider-Man.”
Ron Howard has publicly statedthat he loves what Lord and Miller completed, but the length of the reshoots of theHan Solomovie have left many to speculate about just how much of what the duo shot will be used in the final cut. It seems likely that Disney and Lucasfilm will see themselves in the same place as Warner Bros. and DC currently withJustice League, with fans arguing which directors would have been the better choice to finish the project.
Ron Howard has done everything in his power to project an image of stability and security on the project. The movie has only recently wrapped, with the director revealing the title to beSolo: A Star Wars Story. As previously mentioned, Phil Lord and Chris Miller are currently working on the sequel toThe LEGO Movie, which might have been the best possible outcome for the duo.Solo: A Star Wars Storyhit theaters on May 25th, 2018, but in the meantime, you can check out what Phil Lord and Chris Miller had to say about their experience of working on the project viaVulture.
