Solo: A Star Wars Story

IndyBuff

Well-known member
Joe Brody said:
There's some strange irony (or something) here.

Spielberg never got to direct a Star Wars flick but Richie Cunningham does?

Seriously Kathleen Kennedy? You can't do better than that?

Howard's films are inert and devoid of emotion. I can't see what drove this decision beyond desperation and/or economics (he's had such a streak of flops, I guess he came cheap).

Supposedly Howard was offered a chance to direct one of the prequels back when Lucas was coming up with the idea. He obviously turned it down so maybe that gave them the idea to reach out to him. He's a strange choice, to say the least, but I'm not really hyped for this film so I'm not sure why I care. We'll just have to wait and see.
 

Forbidden Eye

Well-known member
Joe Brody said:
There's some strange irony (or something) here.

Spielberg never got to direct a Star Wars flick but Richie Cunningham does?

Seriously Kathleen Kennedy? You can't do better than that?

Howard's films are inert and devoid of emotion. I can't see what drove this decision beyond desperation and/or economics (he's had such a streak of flops, I guess he came cheap).

Spielberg was asked just last year(when he directed "The BFG" for Disney) in a interview if he'd ever direct a Star Wars movie. He stated pretty clearly "I'm never going to make a Star Wars movie. It's not my genre." I suppose he could've been persuaded if the price was high enough, but it's clearly not of much to him(considering how closely tied he is to that other Lucasfilm brand).

We're all kind of in speculation mode as to what has happened, but as Moedred pointed out, it seems Lord and Miller were likely making this project their own at the expense of Kasdan's writing and the brand at large and how its perceived. Howard, as you've pointed out, doesn't have much of a vision, and is, at best, Spielberg-lite. Basically, unlike Lord and Miller, he'll just shoot it "as is", and will do whatever Lucasfilm tells him to do.

Which is too bad. I was actually starting to look forward to this film because of the different director sensibilities and the chance for this film to break out from what we perceive as "Star Wars" and give us something new and exciting, as I've gotten a little bored with Star Wars since Disney's acquisition. But ultimately, that's how business goes.
 

curmudgeon

Well-known member
For those too young to remember, Howard already directed a movie for Lucasfilm. A little fantasy flick titled Willow.

I've already seen some amusing conjecture that he got the Han Solo job because he was secretly talking to them about making Willow 2, and so happened to be in the right place at the right time.
 

Grizzlor

Well-known member
Ron is doing them a favor. He's coming in because he's a great guy, and will rally the cast and crew to finish the film. That being said, this is quite possibly Superman II territory here, I mean, WOW. Frankly you don't fire directors for "injecting humor." You fire them when they spend too much money, or don't deliver needed shots on schedule, or refuse to shoot certain scenes they feel are not required, etc.
 

curmudgeon

Well-known member
Grizzlor said:
You fire them when they spend too much money, or don't deliver needed shots on schedule, or refuse to shoot certain scenes they feel are not required, etc.

Actually, it's starting to sound like you're not too far off from what happened.

As seems to be a recurring case with these kinds of rumors, EW poated a nice write up to address the situation.

But others on the project say they pushed too far. It wasn?t just a question of tone. The variations added up to significantly change the story. They may have been brought aboard to give young Han Solo a wiseacre vibe and an irreverent style, but Lucasfilm still felt the directors had a responsibility to tell the story as written.

When dailies began rolling in featuring improvisation from the actors and new ideas from the directors that significantly parted ways with the script,
the relationship with the home office at Lucasfilm became fraught. As principal photography for the movie approached its end, it became clear that the filmmakers and producers did not share the same vision for some critical scenes.

Reshoots were always possible (they are factored into almost every major film these days, and each new Star Wars project has undergone them), but as Lord and Miller dug in, refusing to compromise on what they saw as best for the film, the partnership went from strained to fractured. If they wouldn?t do the scenes as Lucasfilm and Kennedy wanted them now, why would they do them that way during reshoots?

They were basically refusing to shoot the studio-approved version of the story they were hired to direct, and got canned for it.

And I can't blame the studio for it. These guys were hired a year and a half before filming began... if they wanted things to be different from that script, they had plenty of time to bring up any ideas beforehand instead of unilaterally deciding to change things mid-shoot.
 

Moedred

Administrator
Staff member
Posted for posterity. Jump to 1:38. Look an alien! (laughter and applause)

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qCLQlf_opvU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 

Grizzlor

Well-known member
curmudgeon said:
They were basically refusing to shoot the studio-approved version of the story they were hired to direct, and got canned for it.

And I can't blame the studio for it. These guys were hired a year and a half before filming began... if they wanted things to be different from that script, they had plenty of time to bring up any ideas beforehand instead of unilaterally deciding to change things mid-shoot.

Kathleen has been bashed by fans, but her track record speaks for itself. She's a BIG 2 for 2 on these SW films. These guys specialize in goofy comedy, which as that article said was why they were hired. However, this is a $275 million dollar film, and the studio will have their say, it's that simple. The script must be followed, because there's massive amounts of money tied to that. Ron will come in, get the cameras rolling, and the film will be released next year and make another billion bucks probably.
 

IndyBuff

Well-known member
I'm baffled why they would hire comedy directors in the first place. It seems like a poor choice of judgement on their part.
 

Moedred

Administrator
Staff member
Composer announced.

danny-elfman_2048x2048.jpeg
 

Moedred

Administrator
Staff member
Ron Howard's approach:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/P2p2PD6b2-E" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfrullscreen></iframe>
 

Joe Brody

Well-known member
Saw the trailer and think that between Last Jedi and Solo, the franchise is in real trouble. Young Lando looks very cool though, and I have great respect for Woody Harrelson.
 

Pale Horse

Moderator
Staff member
Joe Brody said:
Saw the trailer and think that between Last Jedi and Solo, the franchise is in real trouble. Young Lando looks very cool though, and I have great respect for Woody Harrelson.

Last Jedi is my favorite, barring the Nostalgia from IV and V....
 

Finn

Moderator
Staff member
That is perhaps the most uninspiring Star Wars trailer I've ever seen. Of course, trailers are not always an indicator of the actual film... But alas, more often than not, they try to make the movie look better than it is. So this is not an encouraging sign.
 

Lambonius

New member
Finn said:
That is perhaps the most uninspiring Star Wars trailer I've ever seen.

It's no better or worse than the Rogue One or Last Jedi trailers have been.

I think people in general are starting to get franchise fatigue with Star Wars at this point. Disney has over-milked the cow, and now people are bored with the taste of the milk.
 
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