Today’s official announcement that Oscar winner Ron Howard will replace Phil Lord and Chris Miller as the director of the Han Solo movie indicates that Lucasfilm is not looking to significantly shake things up when it comes to their burgeoning Star Wars anthology films.
The initial hiring of comedic directors Lord and Miller, the helmers behind the irreverent Jump Street flicks and The LEGO Movie, suggested an acerbic, but still loving take on the beloved franchise was in store. But according to reports, Lucasfilm and Han Solo co-writer Lawrence Kasdan ultimately balked at the duo’s going off-script and their more comedic take on the Corellian smuggler and his origin story. Now, with Howard coming aboard to finish shooting and reshape the film throughout post-production, it would appear that Lucasfilm will get the Han Solo movie it wanted, and that film would seem to be one more in line with what the company deems a Star Wars movie should look, feel, and behave like.
Unless Lucasfilm is now going to significantly reshoot Han Solo as they did Rogue One then Howard will have to reshape and cherry pick what scenes, moments, and jokes Lord and Miller already shot and then massage the film into the tone and narrative Lucasfilm and Kasdan envision. Can Howard’s approach even mesh with Lord and Miller’s? Will it result in a defanged endeavor, a biteless comedy, a hodgepodge of a movie suffering from an identity crisis? It’s simply too early to tell. Rogue One was massively overhauled, but it’s tough to argue with the resulting largely positive reviews and billion-dollar gross at the worldwide box office as evidence that Lucasfilm was wrong to throw its weight around on that one. After all, this is all work-for-hire with directors there to serve the brand, the company, and the material and not the other way around. These are corporate products not fan films.
These are corporate products not fan films.
Lord and Miller’s removal was perfectly within Lucasfilm’s rights as the producer of this movie. Lucasfilm obviously loves Star Wars, it knows Star Wars, and it’s there to protect Star Wars. But at some point, in order for any franchise to remain vibrant, new approaches and fresh ideas are necessary. Not every Star Wars movie should have to feel, move, or look like the Skywalker Saga episodes. But maybe, to Lucasfilm, they do. Perhaps Lucasfilm isn’t as comfortable moving away from the characters let alone the style of the Skywalker Saga as fans and industry observers had originally thought when the idea of anthology films was announced. The first two Star Wars Stories (Rogue One and Han Solo) explore characters and events leading up to A New Hope. Yes, some of their characters are new, but in the end we know all roads will eventually lead to Luke and the Rebellion destroying the Death Star thanks to Han Solo swooping in at the last moment following his off-screen change of heart.
But weren’t Star Wars' Anthology films supposed to be a chance for filmmakers to explore new corners of the Star Wars universe and to tell new stories, to experiment, explore, and play in this giant sandbox George Lucas created? And, if that remains the case, then wouldn’t that mean eventually making a film with a different tone and style from the Skywalker Saga/Episodes? Lord and Miller’s filmmaking style would suggest they were heading in such a new direction, whereas Howard’s more mainstream style suggests a Han Solo film in line with the Skywalker Saga that spawned the character.
Howard is a talented filmmaker and an old colleague of Lucasfilm’s, having made Willow for them (from a story by Lucas) back in 1988. Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy clearly knew she needed someone she could rely on and not be in a constant creative struggle with as the Han Solo movie wraps filming and moves into post in order to meet its May 2018 release date. Bringing in a studio filmmaker like Howard, a man who projects an amiable and easy to work with manner, means Kennedy and Co. are getting a seasoned pro who can get the nuts and bolts of making the picture done, while working within a corporate system and not make many waves.
Howard’s filmography reveals a journeyman filmmaker in line with the old school TV directors he worked with as a young actor in the 1960s and ‘70s. He can make dramas (Apollo 13, Backdraft), comedies (Gung Ho, Splash), thrillers (Ransom, the Da Vinci Code films), westerns (The Missing, Far and Away), the fantastical (Cocoon, Willow), prestige pics (Frost/Nixon, A Beautiful Mind). All of them are mainstream fare, some stronger than others, but all competently made and safe for mass consumption. Not that there’s anything wrong with that; Howard’s had some box office flops of late, but audiences have largely shown up to see the movies he has directed for over thirty years now. I'm a fan of many of his films.
But Howard is a far cry from the filmmakers who took what seemed like such bad ideas – a big screen comedy version of the dramatic, ‘80s cop show 21 Jump Street or a feature film about LEGOs – and turned them into critical and commercial gold. What filmmakers like Lord and Miller could have done with a property like Han Solo sparked debate and intrigue, whereas it’s much easier to imagine what Howard might yield with that same material. Lucasfilm obviously prefers the latter approach.
While every studio and film have their turbulent moments during production – Pixar Animation has replaced directors mid-production on five of their 18 films – so far each of Lucasfilm’s publicly announced Star Wars spinoffs has been met with behind-the-scenes drama (and lots of resulting press speculation). Lord and Miller’s creative clashes with Lucasfilm transpired in the aftermath of Rogue One’s major retooling – with director Gareth Edwards still involved but consulting with Tony Gilroy during reshoots, editing and rewrites – and director Josh Trank’s exit from his unspecified A Star Wars Story (for reasons that may have had more to do with Trank’s personal behavior than necessarily whatever his take was on that now-scuttled spinoff). This recurring director-producer conflict suggests there is an identity crisis over what a “Star Wars Story” actually is.
Ultimately, though, every series needs to renew itself if it is going to evolve and survive.
Are the spinoffs really meant to be a chance to tell new stories, maybe with radically different approaches and styles from past Star Wars films, or are they simply addendums to the mainstream Skywalker Saga films and thus have to fall in line with the vibe and direction of those entries? Given the creative struggles faced by Edwards, Trank, and most recently Lord and Miller, it would seem reasonable to conclude Lucasfilm prefers the spinoffs be creatively and tonally in line with Episodes I-IX. Lucasfilm knows that approach to telling Star Wars stories works, so there is not much incentive, business-wise at least, to radically shake things up from a creative standpoint.
Ultimately, though, every series needs to renew itself if it is going to evolve and survive. The hiring of a filmmaker in the vein of Ron Howard doesn’t suggest a massive reinvention of Star Wars or its spinoffs is in store. It doesn’t mean Han Solo is going to be a bad film, or any less of a fun time at the movies, but it certainly seems like Lucasfilm, through Howard, is piloting the Han Solo film into far safer territory than the course its more unorthodox original directors had charted for it. May the Force be with them all.
Jim Vejvoda is the Executive Editor of Movies for IGN.com. Follow him on Twitter: @JimVejvoda.
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