Based on everything we’ve heard to date, we should probably start bracing now for the day that a few dozen irate ‘Star Wars’ fans take to the streets to demand the release of Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s cut of ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’. Not only was the directing duo ousted from the project amid reports of creative differences, but Disney is reportedly not expecting the film to perform all that strongly at the box office – at least by the admittedly lofty standards of ‘Star Wars’.
After their ouster, Lord and Miller were replaced by Ron Howard, who if nothing else represents a far less unusual choice for a ‘Star Wars’ movie. Howard, however, reportedly reshot a sizeable portion of ‘Solo’ – as much as ninety percent, by some accounts, and in any case more than he had originally planned to, as related by Paul Bettany.
All of that would seem to add up to a film, that – whatever its merits – is drastically different from what it was originally envisioned as being (or at least from what its original directors envisioned – creative differences strike again). But according to Donald Glover, who joined the production as a young Lando Calrissian, that may not be the case after all.
Speaking at the TCA press tour, Glover shared his take on exactly how ‘Solo’ changed when Howard took the helm:
“It didn’t really. I think we were never faced with anything like that and he did a good job of coming in and didn’t want us to change what we were doing at all. He wanted us to be comfortable with our vision.”
Glover then added that there were “not a ton” of reshoots, at least with regard to his own involvement.
Could this be some pre-release damage control? Sure. But it’s important to remember that not every rumor of trouble behind the scenes necessarily bears fruit. Remember when word got out last spring that ‘Wonder Woman’ was a disaster in the making? Because I do. And that turned out to not only be one of the best blockbusters of 2017, but the only unambiguously successful entry in the DC Extended Universe to date.
Be sure to check back with ScienceFiction.com for more on ‘Solo’ and other upcoming ‘Star Wars’ movies as it becomes available!
‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ is currently scheduled for release on May 25, 2018. The film stars Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover, Thandie Newton, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and Joonas Suotamo.
