On the eve of release, Donald Glover of Solo: A Star Wars Story has spoken candidly about the film’s director drama, which resulted in Phil Lord and Chris Miller being replaced by the Oscar-winning Ron Howard mid-way through production.
The Lando Calrissian actor and all-around creative powerhouse sat down with Variety to discuss the ins and outs of Solo, before the conversation ultimately veered towards Lucasfilm’s decision to part ways with Lord and Miller over creative differences.
Word is the Jump Street directors were beginning to run into overtime, and often filmed countless takes of the same scene in order to encourage a sense of improvisation and off-the-cuff comedy. But that approach didn’t sit well with the Powers That Be, who promptly installed Ron Howard at the helm in order to steady the ship.
Being on the ground level during such a high-profile transition was a surreal experience, according to Donald Glover, who told Variety the following:
It was unexpected but not difficult. We got three great directors for the price of one, and I got to see the difference. I’ve never been in a movie this big. I’ve gotten to work with big directors, you know, Ridley Scott. But getting to see how it’s done from two different styles was super unique. On the same movie? Never happens. So I just soaked that up. I was just like, “I know this is not ideal, but now there’s a control in this experiment. This probably won’t ever happen to you again, so pay attention.” It was weirdly beneficial — not to belittle the seriousness of the situation. I think there was honestly a miscommunication in the artistic vision.
It’s a credit to Ron Howard, then, that Solo: A Star Wars Story has emerged relatively unscathed – not unlike Rogue One before it – as the Anthology pic aims for a record-setting opening this Memorial Day Weekend.
Glover, on the other hand, was left shocked by the decision to remove Phil Lord and Chris Miller, though admits that he wasn’t aware of any tensions while on set.
Everybody was just kind of shocked. I was not expecting that call at all. I was at home; I got the call and it was like, ‘We’re going to take a small hiatus.’ And I was just shocked. You just want to know what’s going to happen, because it’s such a big ship and everything is new to you.
In related news, Jonathan Kasdan, one of the screenwriters responsible for Solo: A Star Wars Story, recently claimed that Lando Calrissian is actually pansexual, as there’s always been a “fluidity” to the ways in which Lando is portrayed – regardless of whether it’s Donald Glover or Billy Dee Williams wearing the cape.