Some highly anticipated films have experienced turbulent productions in recent months, but nothing has come close to the sheer amount of drama on the set of the Han Solo film. Following the departure of Chris Miller and Phil Lord towards the end of shooting (and their subsequent replacement by Ron Howard), fans have understandably begun to question the stability of the film. Young Lando Calrissian actor Donald Glover is acutely aware of this drama, and he definitely seems torn between what the production was, and what it eventually became. Glover explained:
Ron is such a legend, and he knows exactly what the vision for what he is doing is...[but Phil and Chris] hired us, so you sort of feel like, 'I know I'm not your first choice....' And you worry about that. To be honest, I don't know exactly what happened. I feel like I was the baby in the divorce, or the youngest child. The oldest child is like, 'We know what's happening, but we are keeping you out of it.' And I'm just like, 'Was that scene good? How did you feel?'
So, based on Donald Glover's comments, it really sounds like he's just trying to distance himself from the drama associated with Han Solo's production. The decisions were made on a higher level, which means he wasn't even completely aware of what happened. He clearly has respect for Ron Howard as a director, but he also seems to understand that this shakeup fundamentally changes the direction of the film. Howard didn't hire him to play Lando, so he's just trying to do the best that he can with the hand that he was dealt.
It's worth mentioning that Donald Glover's comments to THR about the Han Solo drama say nothing about the differing styles of Ron Howard and the Lord and Miller duo. Following the departure of the original directing team, rumors began to swirl about conflict on the set, as well as vastly different opinions with regards to how to handle the film. As the story goes, Lord and Miller reportedly wanted to aim for a more comedic take -- possibly to the chagrin of Lucasfilm higher ups. Whatever the reason for their departure, and whatever you think of Ron Howard as their replacement, I think it's safe to say that we (like Donald Glover) are only hoping that this film turns out as well as possible.
With that said, it seems that things have generally gotten back on track on the set of the Han Solo film. Ron Howard has spent quite a bit of time posting intriguing photos to social media (of everything ranging from the Millennium Falcon in light speed to Chewbacca) in between takes, and the film has an objectively talented ensemble of actors to inhabit its world -- ranging from Woody Harrelson to Emilia Clarke and Alden Ehrenreich. Summer 2017 was incredibly turbulent for the latest Star Wars spinoff movie, but if everything goes well, it should still be able to wow us when summer 2018 rolls around.
Ron Howard's Han Solo anthology film will debut in theaters next summer on May 25, 2018. If you need some Star Wars in your life before then, make sure to catch Rian Johnson's Star Wars: The Last Jedi when the highly anticipated sequel premieres on the silver screen later this year on December 15.
