What’s the Deal with Lucasfilm’s Creative Differences?
By Edward Baillargeon
During this past summer and now, Star Wars has made some headline news because of the studio behind the franchise, Lucasfilm Ltd.’s “creative differences” with the forthcoming Star Wars movies after Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi hits theaters this December.
First is the spin-off Han Solo: A Star Wars Story, set for release on May 25, 2018. Originally, the movie was going to be directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the creative geniuses behind Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, 21 Jump Street, and The Lego Movie. But on June 20, 2017, when three quarters of the filming was completed, Lucasfilm CEO Kathleen Kennedy decided to fire Lord and Miller due to “creative differences” with their shooting style because the duo thought they were making a comedy in the veins of their previous works, while Kennedy and writer Lawrence Kasdan wanted a sci-fi fantasy with a touch of comedy.
Two days later, they announced that Ron Howard, the director of Apollo 13 and A Beautiful Mind, will be taking over for 3 and a half weeks of scheduled principal photography and 5 additional weeks of reshoots. It is currently unknown whether if Lord and Miller, Howard, or both will receive the credit in the end credits. There’s a good chance that Han Solo will be to Star Wars in the same way of what Ant-Man is to Marvel Studios.
People got excited when a praised director would make it like Lord and Miller, and for Ant-Man’s case, Edgar Wright. Then they either got fired or left the project due to creative differences with the studio and got replaced by new directors like Ron Howard and Peyton Reed. When the movie would be released, it would get positive reviews from audiences and critics, but there will still be the people who just assume that Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s version of Han Solo was better or Edgar Wright’s version of Ant-Man was better.
Now recently, Star Wars Episode IX, set to be released on December 20, 2019, got a director change as well. Originally, the sequel trilogy finale was going to be directed by Colin Trevorrow, the director of Jurassic World. But on September 5, 2017, Lucasfilm announced that Trevorrow decided to part ways. A week later, it was announced that J.J. Abrams, the director of Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, will return to the director’s chair for Episode IX and co-write with the Oscar winning writer of Argo, Chris Terrio, and producing with Kennedy through his production company Bad Robot. So in a sense, Abrams will finish what he started.
From all of us at the East Side Newspaper, we wish Ron Howard, J.J. Abrams, and the entire Star Wars crew the best of luck to fill in the chairs.
