According to The Hollywood Reporter, directors Chris Miller and Phil Lord have left the Star Wars spinoff featuring a young Han Solo. The duo, who previously found success with The LEGO Movie and 21 Jump Street, issued a diplomatic statement about their departure, citing differences with LucasFilm. “Unfortunately, our vision and process weren’t aligned with our partners on this project,†they wrote. “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.†The movie began filming all the way back in February and stars Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson, and Donald Glover, with Alden Ehrenreich playing Han Solo. The production reportedly only had several weeks left of filming, which makes the directors’ departure so late in the process particularly surprising, and perhaps even alarming for fans of the franchise. Still, the May 2018 release date remains unchanged.
Update 11:05 p.m: Variety reports that the falling out between the directors and the production company was perhaps a long time coming. “A person with knowledge of the production†claims that “it was a culture clash from day one.†Allegedly the directors found working under producer Kathleen Kennedy stifling and were “stunned†by their lack of creative control. Kennedy reportedly took issue with the directors’ shooting style and interactions with actors and crew. The source also says that Miller and Lord were “fired†by LucasFilm.