If you thought Daniel Day-Lewis' retirement was the "Holy Shit!" news of the day, think again! In an utterly surprising turn, directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller have exited the Han Solo spinoff film. Lucasfilm released an official statement announcing the departure of The LEGO Movie, 21 and 22 Jump Street, and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs filmmakers citing "creative differences" and stating that a new director will be announced soon.

While director shakeups are fairly standard on blockbuster pictures, the news comes as a particular shock considering Han Solo has been filming in London since January, and according to The Hollywood Reporter, it will wrap in a matter of weeks (reportedly as few as three weeks) before returning for reshoots later in the summer. The timing of the departure raises a lot of questions (which we'll probably never get answers to), but it's certainly late in the game to discover creative differences.

drew-goddard-lord-and-miller-hail-mary-movie
Image via Columbia Pictures

Here's the official statement from Lucasfilm:

The untitled Han Solo film will move forward with a directorial change.

“Phil Lord and Christopher Miller are talented filmmakers who have assembled an incredible cast and crew, but it’s become clear that we had different creative visions on this film, and we’ve decided to part ways. A new director will be announced soon,” said Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm.

 

“Unfortunately, our vision and process weren’t aligned with our partners on this project. We normally aren’t fans of the phrase ‘creative differences’ but for once this cliché is true. We are really proud of the amazing and world-class work of our cast and crew,” stated Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.

The untitled Han Solo film stars Alden Ehrenreich as the intergalactic rogue alongsideDonald Glover as Lando Calrissian and Joonas Suotamo as Chewbacca.Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Thandie Newton, and Fleabagcreator/star Phoebe Waller-Bridge also star.

The script comes from Lawrence and Jon Kasdan, and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy is producing alongside Allison Shearmur, Simon Emanuel, and co-producers Kiri Hart, Susan Towner, and Will Allegra. The creative team also includes Arrival cinematographer Bradford Young, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story production designer Neil Lamont, and Oscar-winning Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz editor Chris Dickens.

The film remains scheduled for a May 2018 release.

han-solo-star-wars-spinoff-cast-alden-ehrenreich-donald-glover
Image via Lucasfilm
han-solo-movie-slate
Image via Chris Miller
star-wars-han-solo-harrison-ford
Image via Lucasfilm