Following “creative differences” with Lucasfilm, the directing duo of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were fired from Solo: A Star Wars Story in 2017 and replaced with Ron Howard. In a recent interview, Howard spoke about coming onto the project and what it was like replacing the duo.
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“I understood that this difference had created a schism to the point where they weren’t going to be able to go on working together, and that was really unfortunate because I like Phil and Chris, and I also really admire them,” Howard told The Hollywood Reporter. “When I looked at the footage and read the script, which I liked, I felt like I understood what it was that the studio and Lucasfilm were looking for in finishing the movie and reshooting some of the movie.”
Despite having to come on and replace the pair, Howard said he actually spoke with Lord and Miller and that their relationship was completely fine afterward.
“In a few places, I thought of reconceiving a few scenes, which they were open to. I had some really comforting conversations with Phil and Chris, who let me know that they weren’t leaving because I was coming in,” said Howard. “For me, it was an absolute exercise in professionalism and friendship, and it indirectly led to a season of Willow, which we’re doing now [with] Jonathan Kasdan.”
While it’s unknown exactly what happened between Lord and Miller and Disney, many reports at the time note that Lord and Miller joined the project thinking it would have more comedic moments, while Disney simply only wanted slight comedic touches on the film. This led to Disney reportedly not being happy that Lord and Miller were filming different takes that did not adhere to the script, and after not compromising, the pair were let go.
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Thankfully, it seems as if everything has worked out for everyone involved, as Lord and Miller have continued on, with both now working on 2023’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and 2024’s Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.
