Hey guys, Jana here,

When it comes to a well-oiled machine like the Star Wars world, things are expected to flow smoothly without too many hiccups in an already-proven process. However bringing new blood into an already established series can sometimes prove to be a bad marriage of good intentions. Such is the case with the stand alone Han Solo spinoff.

Respected writers/directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller were given the boot from the still unnamed Solo film partway through shooting. The pair have their own way for running a set and producer Kathleen Kennedy and co-writer and exec producer Lawrence Kasdan from LucasFilm have theirs. It seems to be an oil and water mix from the beginning which finally went off like a powder keg near the tiniest spark.

Lord and Miller were brought in to bring their personal brand of humor to the set but were not prepared for the tight control Kennedy had on the set. An inside source called it a “culture clash from day one”. Kennedy did not approve of their particular style of shooting and how they interacted with the crew and actors on set. It’s hard to relinquish control when you know what you want to see, and it’s hard to be creative when you’re being stifled and observed more meticulously than Donald Trump’s taxes.

The official word from all parties was that they parted ways due to “creative differences”. So what does this mean for the project? Well, there’s a new director that Kennedy will announce soon. Rumor is Ron Howard is in talks to take over, but no official word confirming him.

Whoever comes in to assume the mantle of director, there are still several weeks left to shoot and it’s likely there will need to be a fair amount of re-shoots that fit with the new director’s (read Kennedy’s) vision. The film remains on the calendar for a May 25, 2018 release. We’ll update once we have a confirmed director in place.