‘Solo’: Phil Lord & Chris Miller Came Up With These Three Scenes Featured in Ron Howard’s Theatrical Cut
Zack Sharf
“Solo: A Star Wars Story” was a big disappointment at the summer box office, but its troubles started back in June 2017 with the much publicized firing of original directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller. The directing duo behind “22 Jump Street” and “The Lego Movie” were quickly replaced by Ron Howard, who delivered a theatrical cut that was solid but hardly exciting. Fans have been wondering for months what exactly Lord and Miller’s plans were for “Solo,” and now co-writer Jonathan Kasdan has shed some light on the topic.
Kasdan, who wrote “Solo” with father Lawrence Kasdan, revealed in a Twitter post some of the original ideas Lord and Miller had for the “Star Wars” prequel that ended up being preserved in Howard’s final theatrical version. It turns out the film began with a Lord and Miller idea, as the writer-directors conceived of the plan to start the movie with a landspeeder chase through the streets of the planet Corellia. Kasdan thought the idea was brilliant since it established Han’s ace piloting skills from an early age.
Lord and Miller’s plan for Han and Chewbacca’s first meeting also stayed the same when Howard boarded as director. According to Kasdan, it was Lord and Miller who came up with the idea to have Han convince Chewie to help him speak Wookie in a broken accent in order to escape capture. The directing duo were also responsible for setting Han and Qi’ra’s kiss in Lando’s cape closet aboard the Millennium Falcon.
“We liked the idea of seeing Han in a similar situation, with a similar type of banter, but a very different partner, one who maybe teaches him a thing or two,” Kasdan said, referring to how the scene works in comparison to Han’s relationship with Leia in “The Empire Strikes Back.”
Kasdan revealed he also worked with Lord and Miller on the development of Lando’s droid L3, played via motion capture by Phoebe Waller Bridge. Miller was the one who came up with the idea for L3 after being inspired by the anti-droid bartender seen in the first “Star Wars” movie. Kasdan took to the duo’s creation of a droid who is a polarizing character “in these extremely divisive and politically charged times.”
While Kasdan wrote on Twitter that he still hopes to explore Han Solo’s origins in future “Solo” movies, the jury is still out on whether or not the intended “Solo” trilogy will happen given the film’s lackluster box office. Next up for the “Star Wars” universe is J.J. Abrams’ “Star Wars: Episode IX,” in theaters December 20, 2019.
