The drama around the untitled Star Wars Han Solo film intensifies, as news leaks that Lucasfilm hired Alden Ehrenreich an acting coach.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, a source close to the production on the Han Solo film says that Lucasfilm was “not entirely satisfied” with Ehrenreich’s performance as the famous young smuggler. As production progressed, the studio decided to hire an acting coach for the star, an unusual move at that stage of the game.
The source largely attributes Lucasfilm’s dissatisfaction to directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, who were fired last week from the Star Wars story film. In line with the stated “creative differences” between directors and studio, Lucasfilm was apparently unhappy with the version of Han Solo that Lord and Miller were coaxing out of Alden Ehrenreich.
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Lord and Miller were apparently amenable to the idea of an acting coach, and offered a suggestion for Ehrenreich. But the change reflects what THR says was a generally poor response to working in the pressurized Star Wars environment. The directorial duo allegedly chafed against their tight schedule, dictations on filming, and increased involvement from Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, and Han Solo screenwriter Lawrence Kasden.
Lucasfilm also replaced the film’s editor Chris Dickens with Ridley Scott’s Oscar-winning editor Pietro Scalia.
The cast of the Han Solo film, which includes Donald Glover, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, and Thandie Newton, has maintained a radio silence in the face of the recent drama. However, THR’s source claims that the crew “broke into applause” when they were told that Ron Howard would be taking over the director’s chair.
The untitled Han Solo film was allegedly only three weeks from the completion of principal photography when Lord and Miller were fired. With Ron Howard in charge, production will stretch into September, though the planned release date of May 2018 has not been altered.