Solo: A Star Wars Story - How Ron Howard Differed To Lord & Miller

"They weren't prepared for Star Wars."

Solo A Star Wars Story Alden Ehrenreich
Lucasfilm

Saying Solo: A Star Wars Story has had a troubled production is something of an understatement, like saying Han Solo was an ok pilot or Lando Calrissian was kinda cool.

From the firing of Phil Lord and Chris Miller to reports of an acting coach for Alden Ehrenreich, and Ron Howard moving from finishing the project to reshooting around 80% of it, it's a wonder that it's even making its May 25 release date.

Now an actor who supposedly worked on the movie under both Lord & Miller and Howard has spoken to Vulture about working with the directors, and how they differ in their approach:

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"Phil and Chris are good directors, but they weren’t prepared for Star Wars. After the 25th take, the actors are looking at each other like, ‘This is getting weird.’
"When [Howard] came on, he took control and you could feel it. He got respect immediately. He’s really confident. A really easy guy to work with.”

We've heard previously that Lord & Miller had an improvisational style that didn't fit with what Lucasfilm wanted, but this goes deeper in terms of stating the directors wanted more than 30 takes of every scene, each one "different" to the last. It's worth noting, however, that Joy Fehily, a spokesperson for Miller and Lord, told the publication: "This information is completely inaccurate." Miller, meanwhile, posted the following response on Twitter:

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The actor, who wished to remain anonymous, also detailed how Howard shot the same script (which isn't really a surprise) as Lord & Miller, but not the exact same sets:

"It’s exactly the same script. They’re filming exactly the same things. There’s nothing new. [Lord and Miller] used whole sets. But Ron is just using parts from those sets. I guess they’re not shooting wide angle. Maybe to save money.”

The source also spoke about Ehrenreich, claiming that he was struggling with one thing: trying to be Harrison Ford: "Trying to mimic Harrison Ford is really tough. Lucasfilm wanted something very specific: copying someone else. Alden’s not a bad actor - just not good enough.”

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The actor goes on to add that Ehrenreich did improve under the coach and Howard's direction, although it's strange to hear Lucasfilm wanted someone to simply mimic Ford, since this is a very different time in Han Solo's life, and they didn't hire Anthony Ingruber (who does a pitch-perfect Solo impersonation).

We'll discover how it's all turned out in under two months, with the movie set for release on May 25. Ron Howard, meanwhile, will be the sole director credited, with Lord and Miller taking executive producer credits.

Are you excited for Solo? Does the production have you worried? Share your thoughts down in the comments.

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NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.