What Our Sources Are Saying About The Star Wars: Han Solo Shakeup.

The recent story about the firing of directors Phil Lord & Christopher Miller shocked the internet as fans started to move away from cautious optimism toward the Star Wars: Han Solo movie to outright panic. We reached out to a couple of sources to get a better idea about what’s happened, and the picture is a little clearer – while it’s certainly not prettier, there is a bit of good news tucked away in all of this.

 

 

Quick word of warning – this information comes from several different sources. Some details might not line up 100% with the other accounts of this information that are making the rounds right about now, but this is what I was able to figure out about the situation at hand.

 

 

 

The Directors Didn’t Click With Lucasfilm (But Both Hoped They’d Come Around)

 

 

It all started off so simple – a pair of young directors with several great popcorn flicks based on questionable ideas (Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, 21 Jump Street, and The LEGO Movie) under their belts were announced to be guiding the way for the Han Solo movie. This wasn’t a “decision-by-committee”, either – Lawrence Kasdan, the architect of the movie’s script and the guy who wrote the screenplays for The Empire Strikes Back and Raiders of the Lost Ark, thought they were the best pair for the job. Lucasfilm’s president, Kathleen Kennedy, gave them the green light and thus the project started development. The Lucasfilm Story Group’s Kiri Hart said the following about Kasdan’s confidence in Lord & Miller at last year’s Star Wars Celebration Europe:

“He was quite vocal about it in a way only Larry can be. He had a tremendous amount of belief in them and a feeling that they were just the right people to do this. That ended up being really meaningful to all of us as we went forward and put the whole thing together.”

 

How things soured between Lord & Miller, Kasdan, and Kennedy isn’t clear at this time, but some accounts mention that they clashed in terms of the script. If you’re familiar with any of Lord & Miller’s movies, you might know that improvisational comedy is their forte, whereas Kasdan is generally adherent to avoid significantly deviating from the script whenever possible (with “I love you!” “I know.” being the most famous exception). There’s also a bit of evidence that they might have done something that would violate Star Wars canon – dorky as that may sound – which could have been an issue on a creative level. Yet both team Lucasfilm and team Lord & Miller were under the impression that they could still work things out over time over the course of production, so the project proceeded as planned.

 

 

 

Things Were Going Well (Until They Suddenly Weren’t)

 

“Lando, we’ve got a problem here…”

 

Rest assured, however, that in spite of their run-ins with Kennedy and the Kasdans, Lord & Miller didn’t pull a Josh Trank on Lucasfilm. (Remember how he was gonna do a Star Wars movie at one point, and then he decided to leave “to explore his own projects”? His erratic behavior in the later stages of filming Fant4stic, which was being made at the time that he got hired to start planning his movie, put a quick end to that when Simon Kinberg saw firsthand how badly things could go.) Contrary to Trank, everything about the production was described in the most glowing of terms by the people we talked to, and not in a “spinny” way either – everyone was genuinely excited for how well this project was coming along (especially the editors) and Lord & Miller were doing good work as directors. There were even early talks about potentially doing a second movie with much of the same cast after the 2020 movie, provided – of course – that the picture did well.

 

However, something happened along the way. Something big, but not something that was immediately noticeable. Several weeks into production, there were concerns that in spite of the good work that Lord & Miller were doing with their movie, that something was decidedly off about the way that their signature approach was taking the project – and that the bickering between them and the powers that be continued off and on. But the first person who really raised their voice about their worries on the direction the project was going in wasn’t Lawrence. It wasn’t even Kennedy.

 

 

 

Alden Ehrenreich Shot First

 

 

For anyone who’s worried that the actor playing a young Han Solo isn’t taking his role seriously, rest easy – Ehrenreich one of the most important people involved with the project who voiced his concerns about the project at a crucial moment in the movie’s development, which means that he’s absolutely committed to bringing his A-game to this role. Ehrenreich’s performance has been described to us as being an interesting new take on Han that stands out on its own while still honoring the essentials of the character, and that it’s a worthy interpretation of the iconic scoundrel.

 

And this is why Ehrenreich had concerns with the production as filming progressed. He started to worry that Lord & Miller’s screwball comedy angle was starting to interfere with what the character of Han Solo is really about – even if this was a younger, more reckless take on the character than the one we met in that Cantina on Tatooine. One source described it as being oddly comparable to Jim Carrey’s performance in Ace Ventura at times. Ehrenreich let his concerns be known to one of the producers, who then told Kennedy about it, which led to her decision to look over the existing footage (which is also a normal part of the production process, but this is where things get interesting).

 

 

 

The Film Was Good In Pieces, But Frenzied When Assembled

 

(See, it’s funny because this is the fourth subheading!)

 

I’ll give credit where credit is due and note that the people at The Weekly Planet Podcast were the ones to break the scoop about an anonymous tip about there being concerns with the movie and that some sequences needed to be reshot. I initially dismissed their concerns in a recent episode of The Resistance Broadcast because at the time, I was under the impression that they kept using the word “reshoot” as a pejorative, catch-all term to describe any scene being refilmed, even though it’s not uncommon for certain sequences to be filmed over again during the process of principal photography and that this was completely normal. Again, I was skeptical because I had personally heard absolutely nothing about there being any problems with filming – Lucasfilm is pretty good at keeping secrets, after all.

 

But as it turns out, they were right. The reason people close to the project have described it positively was that they saw several isolated scenes. However, when an assembly cut actually started to come together, that was where the issues presented themselves in earnest, and this is where Kennedy and Kasdan – as well as the other people reporting to them – started to get deeply concerned. The Weekly Planet Podcast mentioned that there were concerns with performances and action setpieces, but from the sound of things it seems to be more along the lines that Lucasfilm really wants to get an edit that’s more faithful to Kasdan’s script. (Have I mentioned that they really, really like Ehrenreich’s take on Han? Because they do!) There was something of a “zany” tone to more scenes than they would have liked – in part due to some of the improv – and I get the feeling that fans might take more of an issue with this than they would have if the film had been left unfixed.

 

 

 

Reshoot Supervision Was The Straw That Broke The Camel’s Back

 

At some point in production, some kind of hiatus took place, and this is where they reviewed the footage and told Lord & Miller that they’d need to overhaul the movie with reshoots when they worked on it later. If this sounds familiar, then you’d be right to think of Rogue One – but the difference was that Gareth Edwards was a team player, whereas Lord & Miller have given off the impression that they were pretty rebellious with this production, and they offered an ultimatum – either let us handle the reshoots our way, or we’re out. And thus, they were shown the door.

 

Let’s be clear here – when it comes down to Lord & Miller taking issue with the writer/producer and the creative team at Lucasfilm, it’s should not be surprising that Kennedy would choose to take the side of the people who are in Star Wars for the long haul. And it’s also in Kennedy’s best interest to make sure that they can do whatever it takes to fix a movie before it hits the silver screen, as is the job of any competent film executive overseeing a lot of major projects.

 

 

 

I’m guessing that the above tweet was made right around the time these sorts of discussions were starting to happen, but there’s no real time frame of when these aggressive negotiations started and abruptly finished. So yeah – the project’s going to need a new director to finish things up (EDIT: it’s since been confirmed to be Ron Howard), look at the full assembly cut, and then figure out what needs to be reshot. Bits and pieces of Lord & Miller’s original cut of the movie will make it into the finished version of the film, but expect it to be more in line with what Kasdan’s intending to get across with the script. Speaking of him…

 

 

 

Lawrence Kasdan Is Pretty Grumpy Over The Situation

 

 

There’s not a whole lot to this particular point as far as details go, but I feel it’s worth singling out considering that Kennedy is being hit with almost all the blame from fans for Lord & Miller’s dismissal, and that’s not entirely true. Kasdan was the guy who helped bring the duo onto the project, and he’s also the one who’s been struggling the most creatively with them – so it’s only natural that this ordeal has left him mighty pissed when all is said and done (although he’s sticking with the project, as his beef is with the ex-directors while Kennedy has been incredibly supportive of his vision).

 

Kasdan most likely will not be directing the movie even though he’s unofficially one of the people being considered for the project. This is due to legal shenanigans with the Director’s Guild of America and a bunch of legal crap that I’d rather not focus on here, so I’d recommend checking out THR’s piece on this if you want an idea about why he can’t take over the film. However, given that the film is technically a United Kingdom production and not one set in the United States, it’s possible that Lucasfilm could take advantage of a loophole. That being said, it’s likely that someone else will get the gig, and whoever that is, the director’s gig is going to have to be able to listen and get along with him pretty well. (EDIT: Ron Howard has a good reputation, so it seems like he could help heal the damage caused by the recent shake-up.)

 

 

 

The Movie Has A Good Chance Of Being Delayed

 

 

So yeah, the official story is that Lucasfilm is keeping that Memorial Day Weekend 2018 slot for Star Wars: Han Solo. But as you might imagine, the situation at hand could very well throw those plans for a loop. Only one of our sources brought this up, however.

 

I get the feeling that, if there is a delay, then Han Solo might not be a December 2018 movie. December, which is usually an ideal point to drop a major tentpole these days when there’s not a lot of competition, is getting pretty crowded, which would defeat that purpose. Furthermore, Disney already scheduled Mary Poppins Returns to be their big Christmas movie in 2018. Obviously, Disney can do release date swaps for a couple of their movies (heck, Han Solo could be a good Thanksgiving film for all we know), but there are more options on the table than just December or bust. This will really depend on what the new director (EDIT: Ron Howard) decides is the best course of action.

 

I’d also like to note that we’ve been told that some of the people who are working on Han Solo were also slated to work on Episode IX. That plan may or may not have changed depending on how this mess is going to be sorted out. My guess is that, if they really need time to fix Han Solo, then there’s an outside chance that Lucasfilm could drop two Star Wars movies in 2019. (But bear in mind that this is my tinfoil hat suggestion, and probably not a likely one at that if they want much of the Han Solo crew to help with Episode IX.) As it stands, whether or not there’s a delay is going to depend on when Han Solo actually wraps up. I should note that as of now, production has not halted and is still ongoing.

 

 

 

The Good News: Lucasfilm Still Has A Plan

 

 

I’m not going to mince words here when I say that everyone we talked to about this was just as shocked about it as you were when this headline broke. A night where everyone should have been pointing and laughing at the terrible reviews that Transformers: The Last Knight was getting was instead dominated by discussions about what’s going on with this spin-off and if Kennedy was in the right to pull the plug on Lord & Miller (directors who are both more popular in terms of fan perception than Colin Trevorrow, who recently had issues after his latest movie was a dud with critics). Star Wars has had troubled productions before, but nothing quite like what just happened. Perhaps we should have thought that something was up when there was zero mention about the development of the Han Solo movie at Star Wars Celebration Orlando.

 

Okay, so I’ve spent thousands of words explaining what it is that people are so worried about. But I’d like to note that this film is not beyond saving. In spite of all of that crap I’ve told you about, there’s a bit of a light at the end of the tunnel even though this absolute PR disaster just shook Lucasfilm to the core. The first thing that we know is that it’s agreed that the script was good and that it’s still good. While a good script might not easily translate to a good film, especially one with lots of troubles heaped upon it, it’s certainly easier to actually make it work than it is to make a good film out of a bad script. The second thing is that the cast are also good – even if their performances are going to have to be tweaked, Lucasfilm likes the cast they’ve assembled and think positively of what they’ve done, especially with Ehrenreich. The third thing concerns Kennedy herself – she’s demonstrated that if there are issues with a production, she’s willing to put her foot down and get all hands on deck to correct their projects. Other studios would straight-up try to get a picture out at the most profitable window to get a problem movie over with, but there’s a level of commitment to this franchise that Kennedy demonstrates she has that rival studios lack. (EDIT: The fourth thing is that Ron Howard is known for being one of the nicest directors in Hollywood that can still produce results. While he has put out some questionable films before, the fact remains that he’s an Oscar-winning director who’s still got it, as demonstrated by Rush and The Beatles: Eight Days A Week.)

 

 

 

What’s Yet To Come

 

 

So from the sound of things, it looks like whoever is going to direct Han Solo from here (EDIT: Ron Howard) will be looking to salvage what they can from the unfinished Lord & Miller cut, wrap up the last three weeks of filming that were originally going to take place between now and D23, and then go with a long period of reshoots to adjust the project to a vision closer to what Kasdan had in mind.

 

From what I can tell, while certain entertainment websites are out for blood with Kennedy over this situation (plus with the perception that she took Rogue One from Gareth Edwards even though he played ball with Tony Gilroy and was a heavy part of the film’s promotional campaign after the reshoots), internally everyone appears to be on her side. Really, the only fault in this terrible situation that she would have as an executive here would be that action wasn’t taken sooner, but again, she was operating on Kasdan’s suggestion and the impression that the team could sort out their differences (and, sadly, that didn’t work out). When we asked one of our sources, they told us that Kennedy is not a micromanager with incredibly specific ideas about Star Wars, in spite of one less-than-favorable account painting her in that light. Instead, she’s someone who listens to the multitude of producers under the Lucasfilm umbrella and makes decisions based on their concerns, what the filmmakers actually want to get across, and where a movie ultimately needs to get to before it’s screened.

 

Some have also wondered whether or not Kennedy should resign and put up another executive for the job of running Lucasfilm. Considering that she’s brought in over $3B in ticket sales for Lucasfilm with only two movies (both of which were hits with critics and audiences alike) and she has greatly increased the market value for Star Wars in the past few years, it’s safe to say that she’s going to stay put, although I’ll imagine that she’ll be under greater scrutiny from Bob Iger (which might not necessarily be a bad thing). Even if the franchise were to have a Transformers-like critical failure for one movie, it’d take much more than one misfire for a change in management to take place – it’d have to be a level of repeated failure comparable to what happened to Paramount and Sony Pictures last year.

 

(One other thought that came to me is that one of Disney’s other top movie executives, Marvel’s Kevin Feige, also has had his share of controversial production issues – Thor: The Dark World, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Ant-Man all having serious issues in development that aren’t too dissimilar to what’s happened under the Kennedy regime at Lucasfilm – yet pretty much every time, the fans agree that he can do no wrong. There’s a kind of double-standard here that I think is a bit worrying, but that’s neither here nor there.)

 

While Lord & Miller probably are going to have trouble after this high-profile shake-up happened, it’s likely that their careers will ultimately recover to some degree. They’ve got writing credits on an animated Spider-Man movie and The LEGO Movie Sequel, and they’re still producing the other LEGO Movie spin-offs. They may possibly help right the course on the DC Comics film adaptation of The Flash (which they previously wrote a treatment to), as that character seems to be far more suited to their talents. They’re also tied to several television projects and I don’t see that changing (even though The Last Man On Earth is the only one that’s really been successful). However, I think that executives might take caution with making them directors of major projects, and I’m guessing this experience will have turned them off from working on a huge production again.

 

Lastly, come Hell or high water, Han Solo will still be made, for better or for worse. It probably won’t be on time or on budget, but it still has a shot at being good. Lucasfilm didn’t just put tens of millions of dollars into filming something that they were on the fence about from the outset – they still think the project has potential, even if this is one of the most troubled productions in the franchise’s history. And if the film ultimately turns out to be a stinker, it isn’t going to be the death knell of the Star Wars franchise as we know it – just a sign that Lucasfilm will really have to be careful about the choices that they make in the years ahead, which is something that most movie franchises are better off learning sooner rather than later.

 

 

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Grant has been a fan of Star Wars for as long as he can remember, having seen every movie on the big screen. When he’s not hard at work with his college studies, he keeps himself busy by reporting on all kinds of Star Wars news for SWNN and general movie news on the sister site, Movie News Net. He served as a frequent commentator on SWNN’s The Resistance Broadcast.

Grant Davis (Pomojema)

Grant has been a fan of Star Wars for as long as he can remember, having seen every movie on the big screen. When he’s not hard at work with his college studies, he keeps himself busy by reporting on all kinds of Star Wars news for SWNN and general movie news on the sister site, Movie News Net. He served as a frequent commentator on SWNN’s The Resistance Broadcast.

379 thoughts on “What Our Sources Are Saying About The Star Wars: Han Solo Shakeup.

  • June 22, 2017 at 9:13 pm
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    Huge and fantastic article. Bravo.

  • June 22, 2017 at 9:17 pm
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    Wow, very informative. This one much have taken a lot of work.

  • June 22, 2017 at 9:24 pm
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    The Force is strong with this article. Excellent work.

  • June 22, 2017 at 9:29 pm
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    Good stuff.

  • June 22, 2017 at 9:35 pm
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    Great article. Thorough and informative. This jives with many people’s suspicion that L&M were going a little too off-the-rails with the characters. I’m all about creative freedom in these standalone movies, but this one is different because it’s telling a backstory for arguably the most beloved Star Wars character. That bit about Han Solo feeling like Ace Ventura at times? Yikes. If that’s true, I’m glad L&M got fired.

    • June 22, 2017 at 10:35 pm
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      100% stronger.

  • June 22, 2017 at 9:44 pm
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    So Lord and Miller were making Ace Ventura in Space and Kathleen Kennedy gets all the hate for stifiling the creative freedom of the directors. Sounds to me like she was protecting Han Solo from being ruined and fans should be greatful.

    • June 22, 2017 at 9:56 pm
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      Lord and Miller have made their names on zany comedies so they should have been vetted more despite kasdans recommendation. No need to rush these things out and have DC level production disasters.

      • June 22, 2017 at 10:35 pm
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        They likely were vetted plenty. They just went off the reservation.

    • June 22, 2017 at 10:05 pm
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      Agreed.

    • June 23, 2017 at 8:53 am
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      This

    • June 23, 2017 at 10:10 pm
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      Well, she hired them in the first place…, besides, how do we know that this Ace Ventura rumors were not circulated to save her face, after all the beating she was taking? Believe me, I work in PR, this is called damage control.

    • June 24, 2017 at 10:59 am
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      No, she gets the hate for hiring them in the first place.

      • June 24, 2017 at 5:53 pm
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        She hired them on Kasdan’s campaigning that they be hired. And most of the criticism has been aimed at her for presumably being restrictive of the directors’ creative freedom. When you run something as big and complex as Star Wars, sometimes you need to shut down the shit when it becomes apparent that someone is doing something irreversibly detrimental to the franchise.

  • June 22, 2017 at 9:45 pm
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    I’m surprised that so many fans are rushing to L&M’s defense. I mean, I thoroughly enjoy their previous work, but they never seemed like a really good fit for this movie; they do much better with movies that can put the slapstick before the action, and Star Wars is a property that needs to be taken a little more seriously than that.

    And are people really blaming Kennedy? Jesus, us fans are quick to anger. Kennedy has done nothing but keep the rails on this train since the Disney merger; I suppose all those whiners who hate that we’re getting new Star Wars movies need someone to scapegoat.

    Very much looking forward to Ron Howard taking the reins. Even his critical flops are still entertaining movies, and he’s always had an eye for spectacle. And hey, it’ll nice to have some experience behind the camera for once; if nothing else, Howard knows how to handle his actors, something this franchise has historically been lacking in its directors.

    I agree that we likely won’t get this Memorial Weekend 2018, but I’m willing to wait now that it’s in unarguably capable hands.

    • June 22, 2017 at 10:41 pm
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      I still hold some responsibility on Kennedy’s shoulders. Not for the decision specifically, but for the time? Why on Earth hadn’t she watched any of the dailies until other people voiced concerns about the project? I realize that she might’ve not been able to watch them every day with what I am sure is a busy schedule. But the stage that this is all happening is very unprofessional, no two ways about it.

      Ultimately, it does appear that the right choice was made, but I will stress that I believe the nostalgia card will work for only so long for Star Wars. Sooner or later they are going to have to find ways to branch out and explore new territory in the GFFA. Why can’t a horror film take place in the Star Wars Universe. Why can’t comedy? This movie in particular seemed like a really great place to do some branching out, and I hope that all of this hasn’t taken that away from this movie.

      • June 22, 2017 at 11:43 pm
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        I honestly think this was a situation in which everyone involved deserves some of the blame; Lucasfilm thought they’d learn to play ball, and L&M likely never planned to from the start.

        So I agree that Kennedy does share in the responsibility, but I also disagree that she should/could have done something sooner. It honestly sounds like she and the other producers give their directors quite a bit of leeway; she probably wouldn’t have seen a lengthy cut until well into post production had the complaints not reached her.

        And I think this still *will* be a comedy, just not of the slapstick variety like the 21 Jump movies. You’re right though: nostalgia will only work for so long, and I think that’s why we’re getting so many “similar” movies right now. I think by the time they release IX, Lucasfilm will be ready to take more chances with the look and feel of these films.

      • June 23, 2017 at 3:53 pm
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        Agreed. Both parties do hold a degree of responsibility, but KK I argue should have been more cognizant. This is very rare to see directors leave so far into shooting. And if anything, this is going to expose a glaring problem as you brought forth: brand dilution. Nostalgia is like a sugar rush. You feel great and you are energized. But then you crash. The OT stuff is great, but that isn’t going to last. Most people will get tired. TFA, I argued succeeded because it rode that nostalgia wave. It won’t happen again with TLJ.

        And while RO is the right step forward, that step will need to be the direction going forward. Because, other wise the brand will get stale. One could argue that you are seeing this with the MCU. Not that I hate it; I love that franchise. But really, the established tone of SWs is going to need to change. Legends understood this very well. And while not perfect, that willingness to be bold should serve as a template. Both for the movies and the new canon going forward.

        • June 23, 2017 at 8:17 pm
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          “Because, other wise the brand will get stale. One could argue that you are seeing this with the MCU.”

          The RT scores and box office receipts would beg to differ. The MCU and Star Wars will be just fine.

          • June 23, 2017 at 9:04 pm
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            Appeal to popularity. Yes, if we are to gauge the success of these films on that, then sure they are fine. But really, there will reach a point. And really, you could argue that Vol 2 has showcased chinks within the MCU brand as well as a bigger staleness. And really, it will not last. Eventually, there will be a bad movie and really that will cause a chink in the armor.

            And really, RT is such a bad indicator on so many levels due to the lack of nuisance it has and how it statistically calculates stuff. Something like Metacritic does a much better job, but that is for another discussion.

          • June 23, 2017 at 11:10 pm
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            “Appeal to popularity”

            Well we’re talking about the POPULARITY of the brand, so the brand’s popularity is pretty relevant, don’t you think.

            “And really, you could argue that Vol 2 has showcased chinks within the MCU brand as well as a bigger staleness.”

            You could also argue that GotG Vol. 2 is a very well-received film that was seen by a lot of people, and while it had its own flaws, these flaws were independent of the flaws with Captain America: Civil War or Doctor Strange, two films from last ears that were also critically acclaimed box office hits.

            “And really, it will not last. Eventually, there will be a bad movie and really that will cause a chink in the armor.”

            So? The same can be said for any brand that has existed for nearly a decade. That doesn’t mean they an’t turn it around. Star Wars had the prequels, but TFA and R1 turned it around. The MCU had Iron Man 2 and Thor: The Dark World, but since then, they’ve had Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Civil War. One chink in the armor does not mean that the “armor” is ineffectual.

            “And really, RT is such a bad indicator on so many levels due to the lack of nuisance it has and how it statistically calculates stuff.”

            It shows the percentage of critics that gave the film a positive review of at least 6/10. But even if we were to go by the *average* score of any MCu movie, we would find positive reviews all around.

          • June 24, 2017 at 12:10 am
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            “Well we’re talking about the POPULARITY of the brand, so the brand’s popularity is pretty relevant, don’t you think.”

            I will partially concede to that,however, your use of RT is misleading in that it is not a very accurate system. Box office is another matter, but really that indicator also is dubious at best for determining popularity.

            “You could also argue that GotG Vol. 2 is a very well-received film that was seen by a lot of people, and while it had its own flaws, these flaws were independent of the flaws with Captain America: Civil War or Doctor Strange, two films from last ears that were also critically acclaimed box office hits.”

            This I will also partially concede as it is me generalizing the movies together. Though, they are in the same cinematic universe. However, your attempt to play down my line of a chink is a trite point. Indeed, yes; the MCU is in a good place, but that can always change. Iron man 2 was during the early parts of the MCU, when it wasn’t as big.

            And even Thor the Dark World you could argue that as well, even though it was post Avengers. But as some pundits, like MovieBob(much as I do not like him) raises a good point that Marvel will face problems in the long run by continuing their same trend to appease their core base. Which could lead to stagnation

            Especially, if WB manages to continue the trend with WW and deliver a good film with JL. I like the MCU like most people, but as to your point.

            The armor, to use your analogy, could hold. But there is no guarantee it will as tools(aka competition) can adapt to break through that weakness. So to quote Tarkin: “I think you overestimate their chances”

            “It shows the percentage of critics that gave the film a positive review of at least 6/10. But even if we were to go by the *average* score of any MCu movie, we would find positive reviews all around.”

            Half-truth. RT shows the scores of those who individuals who liked the movie and compiles them into a score. These include publications, people etc. Most have to have a certain amount of traffic, quality and consistently putting out reviews.

            The issue with RT is that it goes by a pass, fail system, “Fresh” or “Rotten”. It is easy to understand, but lacks a lot of nuance which you failed to even mention. This is due to the lack of weighted averages. Even though the sample size is a large one.

            So something like Metacritic is a lot more accurate due to its reliance on weighted scores. Also, the pool of data I argue is a lot better due to their more stringent methods of sorting critics, as it gives one a better idea of why a movie might be good or bad and goes into depth about it.

            As for the MCU, the current lowest scoring film Metacritic wise is Thor the Dark World and the highest is still Iron Man. Now, it is valid to critique these publications as their are subject to human error.

            But really, Metacritic’s methodology does a better job at explaining as it showcases more variations in the data. Check this site out for more information: http://www.businessinsider.com/rotten-tomatoes-vs-metacritic-2014-1

            The individual uses Pixar movies. And really, RT just helps create simpler narratives to which gets across to more people. And really, in this case, simple does not mean accurate/ truthful.

            So with all due respect, unless you have anything else to add that is meaningful, do not expect me to comment back. Have a nice day.

          • June 24, 2017 at 12:17 am
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            You know, much as I’d like to debate you on your points, I am quite tired. All I will say is that I partially concede to your top two points. I still think you are wrong as you overestimate the MCU, much as I like it because really they will face problems in the long run. Plus, popularity in of itself

            And really, your point on RT couldn’t be further from the truth as it is a very hollow means to measure success due to its many inefficiencies. And I do not say that lightly, as I do have a statistical background, and know there are much better means to measure success. If anything, RT is simpler to understand and helps portray simple narratives which have a wider reach. But simplicity does not equal truth.

            Overall, I enjoyed reading your rebuttal. Have a wonderful day/ night. 🙂

          • June 24, 2017 at 1:24 am
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            You too.

  • June 22, 2017 at 9:46 pm
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    Whoever says Kennedy should resign: what a shame. SW is such a huge deal that I can only see brightness on what she has done so far. Yes, she even has the guts to kick directors if it’s not working out. It may sound horrible, but she just protects the franchise as best as she can, and she’s way more of a listener than Lucas was (she even gave greenlight to a John Knoll pitch… come on).

    • June 23, 2017 at 1:33 am
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      And yet TFA and Rouge One got complaints from fans during her run.

      • June 23, 2017 at 1:53 am
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        Very few, from a vocal minority. The vast majority of fans, critics, and general audiences love TFA and Rogue One.

        • June 23, 2017 at 2:00 am
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          And thank goodness for that because I was annoyed by Chris Stuckmann’s review of Rouge One and a few of the people I follow dislike TFA for being a rehash of ANH (a few praise the prequel trilogy for at least doing something different)and labeling Rey as a Mary Sue without TLA and Episode IX fleshing out more of her character.

          • June 23, 2017 at 2:14 am
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            “Rey as a Mary Sue”

            This is such a dumb critique. The whole point of Rey’s character in TFA is to show that the light side of the Force is re-awakening within her. Her being a “Mary Sue” is kinda the point. She’s supposed to be surprisingly strong with the force. Kylo Ren even says that she’s stronger than she knows and that she’s getting stronger.

            Rey is supposed to be a direct contrast with Luke, who struggled to even pull a lightsaber out of the snow after months to years of self-training in the Force. Rey does it within days of learning that she is even Force sensitive at all. She’s like a Force conduit or something. I’m sure this will play into the story of TLJ and IX.

          • June 23, 2017 at 3:26 am
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            “The whole point of Rey’s character in TFA is to show that the light side of the Force is re-awakening within her.”

            So should the movie have been called “The Force Re-awakens?”

            So why is it re-awakening in her? How is it re-awakening in her? Things never addressed in the movie. Hopefully they will be in the sequels, but if not explained adequately I think much of the criticisms will have been warranted.

            Your last paragraph, I hope none of that comes true. I find it to be lazy storytelling. In the Prequels, Lucas made Anakin a similarly unique and special Force user (aka “The Chosen One”) – and look how most people react to those movies…

          • June 23, 2017 at 8:19 am
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            Your post is such a dumb post. None of those plot points matter. What matters is that we had to sit through a full-length movie with a character who we CANNOT IDENTIFY WITH. She was a Mary Sue through and through. See Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman for how you can write a “girl power” character that feminists will love who has great abilities but is still extremely relatable and likable.

            You show you simply haven’t even read why Rey is a Mary Sue. It has less to do with her powers and more to do with how everyone in the movie loves her like she’s a little perfect Smurfette. She doesn’t go through uphill battles or struggles. Powers or not, she still could’ve made more mistakes along the way. After all, you admit she doesn’t know who she is or what she can do. So how does she still manage to do everything so perfectly along the way? Worst Mary Sue we’ve ever seen outside of the cheesiest children’s fiction and Saturday morning cartoons.

          • June 23, 2017 at 8:16 pm
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            “What matters is that we had to sit through a full-length movie with a character who we CANNOT IDENTIFY WITH”

            Speak for yourself. There is no “we”.

          • June 23, 2017 at 4:37 am
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            not everyone is going to like everything they make, its just human nature. don’t let other’s opinions effect your enjoyment of something and vise versa.

    • June 22, 2017 at 10:24 pm
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      My boy John Hoey already covered that one. I hastily edited little additions with Ron Howard into this article.

      – Pomojema

  • June 22, 2017 at 9:49 pm
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    “This deal is getting worse all the time!”

  • June 22, 2017 at 9:52 pm
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    Makes sense both to fire l & m and for them to stand firm on handling reshoots. Overall this sounds like a giant mistake from the start made on the best of intentions. What à shame too because I love all the people involved.

  • June 22, 2017 at 9:54 pm
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    Excellent article!

  • June 22, 2017 at 9:59 pm
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    Pomojema, thank you for pointing out the double-standard applied to Kennedy versus Kevin Feige. It’s blatant.

    • June 22, 2017 at 10:00 pm
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      I do not remember Feige waiting five months into shooting to fire someone. Those situations are not even comparable.

      • June 22, 2017 at 10:01 pm
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        You’re right, instead, he waited 10 years into development. Edgar Wright had Ant-Man as his passion project for a literal decade, and he was STILL fired from it. Double standard.

        • June 22, 2017 at 10:04 pm
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          No Feige wanted him badly to make it but he would not update his script to feature the mcu tie ins they wanted. So they parted ways way before cameras went rolling.

          • June 22, 2017 at 10:04 pm
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            They still parted ways. And Edgar was still the one who was unwilling to budge (like Lord and Miller).

          • June 22, 2017 at 10:05 pm
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            But Feige figured out there differences before filming even took place as a good producer should.

          • June 22, 2017 at 10:09 pm
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            That’s fair. i think next time around, Kathleen should actually keep MORE of an eye on the development of the films. If she had been watching more of the footage, she would have seen the direction this film was taking earlier on.

          • June 22, 2017 at 10:09 pm
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            Exactly my point.

          • June 23, 2017 at 6:30 am
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            I agree with you Cosmic, kind of obnoxious that one dude is basically insulting your intelligence in his “yes man,” as you put it, defense.

            I have said this many times in these comments, Lord and Millers style of improvisation is not some huge secret. This is something that could have (should have) been figured out before shooting began. No, Kennedy doesn’t need to be a psychic to realize this. It could have been resolved before even hiring them by asking Lord and Miller just a couple simple questions.

          • June 22, 2017 at 10:29 pm
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            It’s a shame that Spielberg was saddled with this bad producer for decades. What advice do you have for Kathy when she tells her director that their film doesn’t flow well and needs reshoots but the director isn’t open to doing reshoots?

          • June 22, 2017 at 10:33 pm
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            Never said she was bad only this was a misstep letting it run as long as it had.

          • June 22, 2017 at 10:10 pm
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            So what you’re saying is that the director wouldn’t do what the producer wanted so the director was fired? Same situation, dude. Do you owe money to Lord and Miller? What’s your angle?

          • June 22, 2017 at 10:11 pm
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            Key difference is they sorted that out before filming commenced. Pretty big differentiation.

          • June 22, 2017 at 10:15 pm
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            Do you understand that the problems with Lord and Miller began after the movie started shooting. That’s a key point.

          • June 22, 2017 at 10:19 pm
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            If the “creative differences ” really did not start till after cameras rolled (I highly doubt it) the that still is five months kennedy drug her feet before taking action.

          • June 22, 2017 at 10:34 pm
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            This is so baseless as to be a joke.

          • June 22, 2017 at 10:51 pm
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            So you’re saying Lord and Miller should dictate the direction of the film to the producer and she and the writer should rollover for the guys that made The Lego Movie when they refuse to fix their broken film. Got it, I will try this next time my boss ask me to edit my work and I will let you know how being fired feels. Thanks!

          • June 22, 2017 at 11:46 pm
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            I do not think you are reading my comments at all but you are some kind of yes man so that hardly surprises me.

          • June 22, 2017 at 10:34 pm
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            And if your directors go rogue and do their own thing and refuse to conform to your wishes after you have told them?

          • June 22, 2017 at 10:37 pm
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            Fire them the minute it happens not months later.

          • June 23, 2017 at 5:36 am
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            you dont know when she find out or what went on.

      • June 22, 2017 at 10:06 pm
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        Cosmic Force Surfer, based on your long history of producing blockbuster movies when should the directors have been let go?

        • June 22, 2017 at 10:07 pm
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          Common sense would have said before principal photography was three weeks away from finishing.

          • June 22, 2017 at 10:14 pm
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            If I follow you Kennedy should be clairvoyant and fire people for problems that don’t arise until after principle photography begins. Did you read the article?

          • June 23, 2017 at 6:23 am
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            No she should just do a better job during the vetting process. Know the people you hire, their style, techniques etc etc..

            It’s common knowledge those guys like to improvise their work. If that’s not ok, it should be addressed BEFORE shooting rather than just think it wont be an issue or worse yet, fail to even realize their style.

      • June 22, 2017 at 10:33 pm
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        The situations are different, but people are jumping to conclusions about her that they wouldn’t about Feige. Some of it might be sexism, but more likely just the general hatred of Disney we see all the time. For some reason.

        • June 22, 2017 at 10:37 pm
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          I see plenty of people questioning Feige. He got a lot of flack for turning down Patty Jenkins and the way this Spidey reboot is shaking up. Also he is constantly called out often for his representation or lack thereof of minorities and women in the mcu.

          • June 23, 2017 at 8:14 am
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            I’m still most ticked at him for replacing the fabulous Ed Norton with that useless tool who’s playing the Hulk now.

          • June 23, 2017 at 8:14 pm
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            I adore Mark Ruffalo. His performance is way more charming than the boring, stale thing that Ed Norton was doing. regardless, it wasn’t Feige’s choice. Ed Norton was busy when Avengers was filming, so he had to be replaced.

          • June 25, 2017 at 4:52 am
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            Incorrect. It was Feige’s choice.

            This is Fiege’s official statement on the matter.

            “We have made the decision to not bring Ed Norton back to portray the
            title role of Bruce Banner in the Avengers. Our decision is definitely
            not one based on monetary factors, but instead rooted in the need for an actor who embodies the creativity and collaborative spirit of our other talented cast members.”

            There were reports that Norton was difficult to work with, and often had creative disagreements with Marvel Studios which is partially the reason for them supplanting Norton with Ruffalo.

          • June 25, 2017 at 6:27 am
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            Okay, I was wrong. I think Feige made the right choice, though. Ruffalo is way better.

          • June 23, 2017 at 11:44 am
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            Sony is the one f*cking up the ads on the new Spider-Man, not Marvel. That’s the one area over the new movie that Sony is in charge of and they dropped the ball on it with the second trailer outlining the major beats of the story.

            Also, while I can’t say that he didn’t fire Patty Jenkins, he was one to fight for representation that his former boss (Ike Perlmutter) wasn’t allowing. He had to pull a quid pro quo to get Black Panther and Captain Marvel standalones.

            – Pomojema

        • June 22, 2017 at 10:48 pm
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          I’d say it’s also the fickleness of the Star wars fandom. For as great as this fanbase is, it can be incredibly toxic and quick to judge/assume things.

          • June 23, 2017 at 12:42 am
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            We’re all a little sensitive after the prequels. It’s not sexism, though. That’s just…[Han Solo eye roll].

    • June 22, 2017 at 10:57 pm
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      No one is above reproach. Besides he caught plenty of flack over Ant-Man and how Joss left.

    • June 22, 2017 at 10:58 pm
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      Well, Star Wars is more important than the MCU. So, more of a microscope. And Kathleen only has 2 above average SW movies under her belt. Feige has tons (edit: tons of above average MARVEL movies). I get the comparison, but the situations aren’t really the same. There is only one Star Wars universe. There are literally unlimited Marvel universes. If Spider-Man: Homecoming sucks…no big deal. If Episode 8 sucks…end of the world. I thinks Kathleen is under more pressure because her job is harder and more important to more people than Feige’s.

    • June 22, 2017 at 10:58 pm
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      Well, Star Wars is more important than the MCU. So, more of a microscope. And Kathleen only has 2 above average SW movies under her belt. Feige has tons (edit: tons of above average MARVEL movies). I get the comparison, but the situations aren’t really the same. There is only one Star Wars universe. There are literally unlimited Marvel universes. If Spider-Man: Homecoming sucks…no big deal. If Episode 8 sucks…end of the world. I thinks Kathleen is under more pressure because her job is harder and more important to more people than Feige’s.

      • June 22, 2017 at 11:12 pm
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        The process of making a film is exactly the same for both production companies. The only thing she could have done is stood over their shoulders and contently interjected herself. Then everyone would complain about her heavy handed approach killing creativity. The directors turned in their work. She asked them to make changes. They refused so they were fired. Just like anyone at any job in the world would be.

        • June 22, 2017 at 11:46 pm
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          I doubt the process is exactly the same. And I like that she’s not micromanaging…but it does seem that she could’ve caught this a little sooner. But I’m glad she took action when she finally saw the problem. I’m pretty sure this situation will cause her to stay in the loop more next time.

        • June 22, 2017 at 11:53 pm
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          And based on the reports, it seems that she heard it through the grapevine that there were problems. Not that the directors turned in their work.

        • June 22, 2017 at 11:53 pm
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          And based on the reports, it seems that she heard it through the grapevine that there were problems. Not that the directors turned in their work.

          • June 22, 2017 at 11:56 pm
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            “when an assembly cut actually started to come together, that was where the issues presented themselves in earnest, and this is where Kennedy and Kasdan – as well as the other people reporting to them – started to get deeply concerned.”

          • June 23, 2017 at 12:01 am
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            ” Ehrenreich let his concerns be known to one of the producers, who then told Kennedy about it, which led to her decision to look over the existing footage”

          • June 23, 2017 at 12:30 am
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            And then she looked over the footage, and THEN she made the call for more reshoots.

          • June 23, 2017 at 2:30 pm
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            I find it sad we need to re-tread the article everyone here should have read at this point.

  • June 22, 2017 at 10:03 pm
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    Sounds manageable, if messy. Lord and Miller lost sight of Han Solo’s true character (the Ace Ventura comparison makes me want to die) and weren’t willing to fix it. That’s a shame.

  • June 22, 2017 at 10:15 pm
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    Thanks for clarifying this for us Pomojema. I always appreciate your commentary. Looking forward to hearing more of your thoughts on the RB.

  • June 22, 2017 at 10:15 pm
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    Thanks for clarifying this for us Pomojema. I always appreciate your commentary. Looking forward to hearing more of your thoughts on the RB.

  • June 22, 2017 at 10:17 pm
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    I trust in KASDAN. EFF OFF Lord and Miller.

    • June 22, 2017 at 10:46 pm
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      See, the lack of accountability of Kasdan and his less-than-impressive son bugs me. Larry is pretty well known to be a colossal tool about anyone touching his deathless dialogue and never forgave Harrison Ford for, you know, making it better

      And speaking of sexism, Leigh Brackett’s formative work on the Empire script is glossed over far too often in favor of lickspittle fanning over Kasdan. You know which script Kasdan was most responsible for? Return of the Jedi. (Yeah, that’s what I thought.)

      I know there are some people wailing over this project going tits-up but for many of us, the Schadenfreude is sweet indeed.

    • June 22, 2017 at 10:46 pm
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      See, the lack of accountability of Kasdan and his less-than-impressive son bugs me. Larry is pretty well known to be a colossal tool about anyone touching his deathless dialogue and never forgave Harrison Ford for, you know, making it better

      And speaking of sexism, Leigh Brackett’s formative work on the Empire script is glossed over far too often in favor of lickspittle fanning over Kasdan. You know which script Kasdan was most responsible for? Return of the Jedi. (Yeah, that’s what I thought.)

      I know there are some people wailing over this project going tits-up but for many of us, the Schadenfreude is sweet indeed.

      • June 22, 2017 at 11:02 pm
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        You raise some good points, but I do have to ask… have you ever gotten the chance to read Brackett’s ESB script? Because very little of it ended up making it into the final script, even at a foundational level. God love her, but her screenplay was a mess that really didn’t feel much at all like Star Wars.

        • June 22, 2017 at 11:37 pm
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          and Kasdan never got the humor of the character and couldn’t write comic relief for shit. Look at Carrie Fisher’s edits – she made that script sing.

    • June 22, 2017 at 11:37 pm
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      Yeah because Dreamcatcher and The Bodyguard were so good.

    • June 22, 2017 at 11:37 pm
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      Yeah because Dreamcatcher and The Bodyguard were so good.

      • June 23, 2017 at 5:20 am
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        Dreamcatcher is one of the worst movies this protocol droid has witnessed. However, The Bodyguard rules (watch it again!).

  • June 22, 2017 at 10:18 pm
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    I was surprised they were hired for the job in the first place. Glad they are out of the way. The situation is far from unrepairable as long as they are willing to look at the filmed material critically and really invest into re-shoots instead of green-lighting everything that’s “passable”.

  • June 22, 2017 at 10:20 pm
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    Also good news that Alden stood up for himself.

    • June 22, 2017 at 10:47 pm
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      Yeah, I’m glad to hear that he’s not the problem. It also shows that he unsderstands and cares about the character of Han Solo (and knows that if he plays the character poorly that the fanboys will never forgive him).

      • June 23, 2017 at 12:35 am
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        I have half the nuclear arsenal of the US aimed at his residence in case this all goes south.

        • June 23, 2017 at 2:33 pm
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          Hero.

  • June 22, 2017 at 10:25 pm
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    Great article, Pomo. You’ve done a killer job in rounding up all of the disparate bits and bobs of rumor and unofficial rumblings and painted what seems to be a fairly clear picture of what likely went down. We’ll know more as time passes, of course, but I think this is a good touchpoint for fanbase at the moment.

    The Ace Ventura comparison reflects a general gut concern that I had with L&M from the get-go. What I’ve seen of their work tends to indicate that they favor superficial, smart-ass, one-liner based dialogue, and that’s exactly what Star Wars humor is not. Yes, Han always got a few good ones in, but it wasn’t the frenetic non-stop joke patter that you see in something like 21 Jump Street. The wisecracks Han has always been known for are more along the lines of well-timed gallows humor.

    I continue to shake my head in stunned wonderment as to why this film is even being made in the first place, but I’m hoping now that Ron Howard can at least save it from being too terribly embarrassing.

    What I don’t get is why Kathleen Kennedy is catching ANY shit about this situation. An unforeseen problem arose, and she took care of it. I mean, who the hell expects to have to stand their looking over their director’s shoulder the whole damned time a movie is being filmed?One can argue that L&M weren’t a great gamble for Kennedy to have taken in the first place, but Kasdan liked and vouched for them – to me, that would seem to be a pretty good reason to bring them aboard. Personally, I’d have looked at their previous output and assumed that this was what they’d probably bring to the table, but then again Kennedy does this for a living and her instincts have been pretty good so far.

    I’ve never had a particularly good feeling about this project, though. So I guess I’m a little less surprised than most at the news that there’s been “trouble in paradise.”

    • June 22, 2017 at 10:32 pm
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      Yeah, she hired them to make a movie and they answer to her. I don’t see the problem with her saying “Fix it or you are fired.”

      • June 22, 2017 at 10:59 pm
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        Exactly.

        If anything, I think this may result in Kennedy looking a little more closely at a potential director’s body of work before interviewing them, doing an overall gut check, and then raising any concerns she may have about the potential for divergence between what the picture needs and what the director might misunderstand or not get about those needs.

        Because I can’t see where anybody ought to be too terribly surprised that the 21 Jump Street guys tried to turn a Star Wars movie into their usual smartass quip-fest. It feels like there was a little too much benefit of the doubt extended their way when they were brought aboard, and I bet KK doesn’t make that mistake again.

        But yeah, in terms of what ultimately went down between LFL and L&M, I don’t think there are any real grounds to attack Kennedy over this. Problem arose, she fixed it, and got a pretty damned capable director in to take over.

        • June 22, 2017 at 11:36 pm
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          looks more like you guys are just making up “facts” to fir your pre-determined narrative.

          • June 23, 2017 at 12:08 am
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            It’s called “speculation” which you are welcome to share in.

          • June 23, 2017 at 12:37 am
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            Having seen a number of your comments on this article, it looks to me like you’re pushing a pre-determined narrative of your own there, bud.

        • June 23, 2017 at 8:11 am
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          This isn’t a “Star Wars” movie. It’s a spin-off that could and should have its own identity. Something with lots of humor in it would have been a welcome change of pace from the “everyone you know and love dies or turns into a depressed hermit” themes of TFA and Rogue One. The Indiana Jones and Lethal Weapon franchises got funnier as they went along too and audiences loved it and ate it up. Adding humor is normally what you have to do to keep a series fresh and not feeling like a bland retread.

          • June 23, 2017 at 8:12 pm
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            “This isn’t a “Star Wars” movie.”

            …and you lost me.

    • June 23, 2017 at 8:08 am
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      Her biggest mistake of all seems to have been letting Kasdan get so intimately involved with these projects in the first place. If you bring on a great writer, you should expect originality. Kasdan’s professional output in the last two decades and the dismal retread that TFA was show that he has lost whatever creativity he once had.

    • June 23, 2017 at 2:34 pm
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      “The wisecracks Han has always been known for are more along the lines of well-timed gallows humor.”

      Perfect explanation.

  • June 22, 2017 at 10:31 pm
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    We don’t know what is true, but if the Ace Ventura thing is true, then all Star Wars fans should be thanking Kennedy for doing the right thing here, no matter how tough.

  • June 22, 2017 at 10:31 pm
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    We don’t know what is true, but if the Ace Ventura thing is true, then all Star Wars fans should be thanking Kennedy for doing the right thing here, no matter how tough.

    • June 23, 2017 at 12:46 am
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      Hey, if Kennedy can fire these directors literally three weeks before filming ends, you still think she can’t fire Trevorrow?

      • June 27, 2017 at 6:34 am
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        Good point… Trevorrow really does not have a resume at all. That short film he did was horrendous.

  • June 22, 2017 at 10:52 pm
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    Kennedy did the right thing. I’m sorry but if the rough cut of the film you are directing doesn’t have the tone of the script you didn’t write and feel of an established franchise you need to man-up and come to a compromise.

    Lord & Miller must of known it wasn’t going to be a free reign on directing a Star Wars film and its pretty immature to give an ultimatum if that’s true.

    • June 22, 2017 at 10:55 pm
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      Nothing immature about standing up for ur work and there is nothing wrong with them being sacked for not compromising. Totally FUBAR’d situation.

      • June 22, 2017 at 11:00 pm
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        Well its a matter of opinion, personally if the majority of people in charge are saying there are issues with your work you either adjust and continue to give a good finished product, or throw you toys out of the pram and walk to leave others to pick up your mess. That’s how I see it

        • June 22, 2017 at 11:04 pm
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          From the sound of it both parties wanted a divorce and Lord and Miller just decided to leave first.

          • June 22, 2017 at 11:12 pm
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            Did you read the part about being shown the door for refusing to do reshoots in the direction Lucasfilm wanted? If thats true they could of continued if they listened and acted professionally.

          • June 22, 2017 at 11:39 pm
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            I did but how would that have worked if things were as bad as is reported? Edwards was at least on good terms with Kennedy pre reshoots, while Lord and Miller were at odds with everyone. They would have been figureheads at best. I wonder if she made them that offer hoping they’d quit.

          • June 22, 2017 at 11:46 pm
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            I would agree it would of been difficult, and yes it seems like an open door to leave on creative differences.

          • June 23, 2017 at 6:07 am
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            Lord & Miller are known for improvising some of what is given to them, it is part of their style. At the very least Kennedy failed to do her homework if she hired them thinking these guys wouldn’t do their thing.

            Totally agree with Dux, they have a proven track record and were standing up for what has worked well for them so far. Kennedy didn’t want what they were doing obviously. It is a situation that should have come up during the vetting process. This could have been solved before they were even hired by adding this question: “If we take issue with the direction you are taking the film do you agree to let us supervise your work from that point on?” Or this one: “Will you stick to our script?” They would have said no to both…..done, problem solved before it even began.

          • June 23, 2017 at 6:48 pm
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            I agree the vetting should of been better, but then we don’t know the discussions from the start. Maybe it was a case of yes improvise, because it can actually help the script, but they went way beyond what Lucasfilm thought they would do. Who knows……but if its looking like Ace Venture it would of bombed for certain.

    • June 22, 2017 at 11:35 pm
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      there was never a rough cut. KK had an editor cut some scenes together behind Lord and Miller’s back to make them look bad. They never signed off on anything or assembled a rough cut.

      • June 22, 2017 at 11:43 pm
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        Lucasfilm have every right to review footage as and when they like, they are paying for it. If the scenes available looked bad, in a rough cut or otherwise of scenes put together, that’s down to Lord and Miller.

        • June 23, 2017 at 1:54 am
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          Nope, viewing the dailies is “going behind someone’s back”. Kathleen Kennedy is Satan.

          /s

          • June 23, 2017 at 2:43 pm
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            Lol, apparently. And if she didn’t do it and we got Slapstick Han and One-liner Lando, she would be crucified.

          • June 23, 2017 at 4:59 pm
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            Exactly. No one should be criticized for saving/improving a film, even if they stepped in later than they should have.

          • June 24, 2017 at 2:15 pm
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            I would have still applauded if it were even later. She is doing her job. And well.

          • June 24, 2017 at 5:33 pm
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            Agreed.

    • June 23, 2017 at 12:46 am
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      If true, their ultimatum was that they didn’t want someone supervising the reshoots, who they had to answer to. That’s no immature, that’s saying what LFL was insisting on was insulting.

  • June 22, 2017 at 10:56 pm
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    Sounds like Lord and Miller were beligerant and determined to make a mockery of the franchise. Good riddance.

  • June 22, 2017 at 10:59 pm
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    I know L&M are darlings for some, but I have never been impressed. Lego Movie was childish (I always thought it should be) and never understood why it did so well with some adults. 21 Jump Street and 22 Jump Street were Ok, but seemed so much like so many other movies in the genre. Much more comfortable with Ron Howard.

    • June 22, 2017 at 11:50 pm
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      The LEGO Movie had a lot of heart and some genuine laughs and smart moments. I think the reason that everyone went crazy for it is because it so easily could have been a lazy, POS cash grab (like the Emoji Movie) rather than an Oscar-nominated piece of entertainment.

      • June 23, 2017 at 12:48 am
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        OK, but it bored me so much I fell asleep. I should give it another try, but really have no desire to.

        • June 23, 2017 at 8:05 am
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          Lego Movie was one of the best and most original animated films I’ve ever seen. One of the most entertaining and creative uses of animation since Who Framed Roger Rabbit. The script was hilarious, brilliant and poignant in every way and the film’s style was endlessly entertaining.

          • June 23, 2017 at 2:44 pm
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            Hi Phil! Sorry you got fired!

          • June 23, 2017 at 3:04 pm
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            That’s great and all, but personally it bored the crap out of me. Thought the dialog was childlike and stupid. It is something that if we are flipping through movies on Netflix or some other service my wife says no way we watch that again.

  • June 22, 2017 at 10:59 pm
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    Kennedy still needs to leave.

      • June 22, 2017 at 11:00 pm
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        Yep.

    • June 22, 2017 at 11:04 pm
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      She is a great business woman but I think someone to pick and monitor upcoming star wars projects should be Filoni.

      • June 22, 2017 at 11:07 pm
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        It’s not just her involved in overseeing these things. If anything I think she needs to be more hands on in the future.

        • June 22, 2017 at 11:09 pm
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          I want someone like Dave on for project overseer because I think he would avoid picking projects like Han and Boba. I am ready for new projects that do not rely solely on characters from movies that happened 40 years ago.

          • June 22, 2017 at 11:20 pm
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            Kathy doesn’t meet your standards but the guy that’s produced two cartoon series is your idea pick?

          • June 22, 2017 at 11:29 pm
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            Based on the fact that he gets Star Wars, and was mentored for years by Lucas, who saw him as a major talent?

          • June 22, 2017 at 11:44 pm
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            Then why did Lucas handpick Kathleen to be president of Lucasfilm? Could it be because she’s the most successful producer in history and she had worked with Lucasfilm and understands Star Wars and Indiana Jones? I’d love to see Dave work his way up to producing and directing Star Wars films but he just got a promotion to do a baby version of what Kennedy does. He isn’t on her level. It’s a quantifiable fact that no one is on her level.

          • June 22, 2017 at 11:48 pm
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            For business sense yes she is unparalleled but on Star Wars she is nowhere on Dave’s level. WB just promoted a comic book writer to their head of films because they wanted someone who understood the universe. His first film as chair was Wonder Woman. A critical and commercial triumph.

          • June 22, 2017 at 11:57 pm
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            First off, Geoff Johns doesn’t have a producer credit on Wonder Woman because he didn’t produce it. Secondly he is surrounded by film producers. He’s not doing to heavy lifting on the production side. Thirdly he’s not the president of anything. He’s there to direct story. Kathy has an entire story group staffed with Star Wars nerds. She doesn’t have to be a nerd too. She’s there to make broad decisions and keep the train on the tracks. I can’t wait to get Dave on the film side of things but he’s never going to do what Kathy does and I seriously doubt that he wants to.

          • June 22, 2017 at 11:54 pm
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            You’re not wrong. He’s not the businessperson type. However I’m sure he’s hip to the current demographic of Star Wars fans given the animated shows. He could be a consultant at the round table lol

            I hope they train Filoni up to take on a live action movie. He’s got a love for Star Wars and a respect that rivals most. He deserves the chance to direct a Star Wars movie.

          • June 22, 2017 at 11:43 pm
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            The man studied STAR WARS under the creator for years. He is not a suit with dollar signs in his eyes that wants to mine nostalgia and well known characters. No one has a better understanding of the material than him.

          • June 22, 2017 at 11:49 pm
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            I bet you’re a bigger Star Wars fan than Claudia Gray. That doesn’t mean you can write a Star Wars novel. There are other skills that go into running a production company than knowin’ a whole bunch ’bout Star Wars. She has produced some of the biggest movies of all time. Probably many of your favorite movies. She’s putting out great Star Wars movies today and making money hand over fist. If you’re not happy with that stop seeing the damn movies.

          • June 22, 2017 at 11:50 pm
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            I love all the films that came out and have said this is her first misstep at Lucasfilm. I have no idea why you are obviously so triggered over this.

          • June 23, 2017 at 1:10 am
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            I wish I had your optimism guys, but seeing that is not only movies, but comics, books and games set in the OT timeline, I really doubt we’ll see new and bold stuff in the near future…

          • June 22, 2017 at 11:49 pm
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            Do you honestly think they’re not going to explore new timelines and characters?

            Star Wars may be hugely popular but they’ve got to establish some good business first and a more current investment (from the audience) in their movies. And that starts with familiar territory.

            It’s too risky going to financially untested grounds without gauging what the fans of today want to see in the SW universe. We’ve only started to get back into that time where SW movies are being released. We’ll get there soon and very soon if the success of the last two films are any indication.

          • June 22, 2017 at 11:52 pm
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            The Han movie was a George Lucas idea, and Filoni idolizes George Lucas. He would have greenlit a Han Solo movie.

        • June 22, 2017 at 11:44 pm
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          It’s good to see you on here again. (Totally random comment, nothing to see here. Move along. Move along. )

      • June 23, 2017 at 1:04 am
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        I don’t know why but I have the impression that Filoni would be too nice for that job.

    • June 22, 2017 at 11:23 pm
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      Yeah, quick, before she producers another critically acclaimed financially successful film.

  • June 22, 2017 at 11:03 pm
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    Geez, it sure took Kennedy long enough to realize that things weren’t working out.

  • June 22, 2017 at 11:06 pm
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    If the quotes about a screwball comedy and playing like Ace Ventura are indeed accurate, then Kennedy did the right thing. She’s a smart woman with great reverence for the franchise. I don’t doubt she made the right call.

    And kudos to Alden Ehrenreich for having the balls to talk to the producers. That was a gamble considering he is not a big name player. Causing an issue on set, could also have gone horribly wrong.

  • June 22, 2017 at 11:34 pm
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    At least half of this is utterly made-up. Ace Ventura? Based on what, Kathleen Kennedy having their footage edited without their input? I bet she made them look HORRENDOUS instead of giving them a chance to do their own edits.

    • June 23, 2017 at 1:51 am
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      Nice baseless speculation.

      • June 23, 2017 at 5:30 am
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        You’re calling him out on “baseless speculation” about baseless speculation…..???

        • June 23, 2017 at 6:47 am
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          Yep. Everyone is baselessly speculating, but most of us are willing to acknowledge that. Stating your speculation as FACT is mighty arrogant.

          • June 23, 2017 at 6:54 am
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            I’m sorry but this hilarious XD

            Where did that commenter in anyway imply what he was saying was “fact”? Hahahaha

            They had a valid OPINION, no need to get all testy about it.

          • June 23, 2017 at 6:56 am
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            “At least half of this is utterly made-up.”

            That’s not an opinion. Saying that it SOUNDS made up is an opinion. Flat-out stating as a fact, is stating it as a fact.

            Big surprise, I know.

    • June 23, 2017 at 10:22 am
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      Absolutely agree. I am certain the directors would have filmed dozens of multiple takes for each of the scenes – some ( perhaps even many ) may have been of an improvisational nature, but there must have had “straight takes” too – otherwise how else is Ron Howard expected to “salvage” existing footage as they are claiming?

      What it may boil down to is that Lord & Miller were unwilling – and RIGHTLY so – to let KK jump in and wrestle the project’s reshoot stage and give it to a totally different director ( which is insulting to say the least ).
      In the end, they were fired anyway, with the remainder of the film now under someone else’s control – Ron Howard ( or really just KK & Kasdan by proxy ).

  • June 22, 2017 at 11:38 pm
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    Kennedy quit your job!! you are too old for this

    • June 23, 2017 at 1:08 am
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      It’s not her age, its her agenda and money making priorities, instead of working for the craft and art of filmaking.

  • June 22, 2017 at 11:41 pm
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    Of course it’s still got the hopes of being good. That’s the only reason all this has happened. Kathleen, and an unexpected but welcomed response from Alden, wants to make another great Star Wars movie. It was really unfortunate to see all the “attacks” at Kathy. She steers this ship and she steers it well.

    But perhaps most importantly those comments from Alden. The skeptic in me thinks that it’s just an elaborate PR stunt made to silence the naysayers. But damn this gets me really pumped for his performance as Han Solo. I’ve always liked the guy though, he puts in his all and he obviously recognises how much this character is loved by the fans.

    • June 22, 2017 at 11:46 pm
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      *Ben Solo, excited to see the younger version of Han*

      “Man, I can’t wait to kill that guy!” *bu dum tss*

      100% agree with you on KK.

  • June 23, 2017 at 12:01 am
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    I can see how the tone of the movie went wrong — do we really want a “zany” Han Solo spinoff movie? Put it another way, would you like more Yoda Chronicles and Freemaker Adventures in your SW canon?

    • June 23, 2017 at 1:49 am
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      Those aren’t canon, and for this very reason.

  • June 23, 2017 at 12:10 am
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    Kudos for the info…..and for the dig at Transformers lol

  • June 23, 2017 at 12:20 am
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    IMO they should have let the two original directors fulfill their vision (not to say Ron Howard wouldn’t be good too and doesn’t deserve a move also) I think R1 was less than desired and maybe that was Disney – and TFA was less than desired too – I remember Kasdan (who has had some good & bad stuff) said to JJ that they needed to focus on “delight” – that is non sense – I think TFA would have been probably much better if JJ was just able to do his thing and he should have not collaborated with Kasdan – it was probably Kasdan that had the MF appear out of nowhere and had a ST fight with a light saber type riot stick from nowhere, and had Solo & Leia divorced and ruined the victories of ROTJ and had Star Killer base and Kylo be a whiner and so much more – focusing on delight.

    There should be as many Star Wars movies – as there are good “up and coming” and some known “out of the box” directors – IMHO – and they should not let Disney Disnify it, let the director have free reign and also not let any director do more than one movie if they want the franchise to do excellent

    • June 23, 2017 at 12:29 am
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      I also think a movie should be one director’s (or a couple of them)’s vision. A frankenstain monster direction is very risky

    • June 23, 2017 at 12:30 am
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      Given that their vision has had the words “Ace” and “Ventura” applied to it, I don’t think there was much point in letting them continue.

      • June 23, 2017 at 1:24 am
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        That Ace Ventura comment could be poppycock. I imagine the corporate machine is out there now ready to malign the directors via suspicious “movie insiders” feeding the Lucasfilm line to the media.

      • June 23, 2017 at 5:27 am
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        They didn’t say their vision was Ace Ventura. A source said it “felt like Ace Ventura.” Which I think is bull shit.

        • June 23, 2017 at 5:28 am
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          I don’t think that applied to the entire movie, but enough of if that there would be reason to worry.

          – Pomojema

          • June 23, 2017 at 5:48 am
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            I just flat out don’t buy it. It’s coming from an unnamed source and everything above painted Lord & Miller in a negative light.

            Ace Ventura doesn’t even come close to their comedy style. That statement from that source is serving the exact purpose it was meant to…. Make people go “WTF Ace Ventura Star Wars!? Wow they were right to get rid of them.”

    • June 23, 2017 at 1:20 am
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      Haha! I read your comment half an hour ago and now I see the official announcement of Ron Howard at sw.com. KK says: “At Lucasfilm, we believe the highest goal of each film is to delight”

      • June 23, 2017 at 3:23 am
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        haha hillarious!

    • June 23, 2017 at 1:50 am
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      ” it was probably Kasdan that had the MF appear out of nowhere and had a ST fight with a light saber type riot stick from nowhere, and had Solo & Leia divorced and ruined the victories of ROTJ and had Star Killer base and Kylo be a whiner and so much more – focusing on delight.”

      [CITATION NEEDED]

      • June 23, 2017 at 3:21 am
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        LOL – I am just guessing by what he said :
        “We had only one goal, which was to delight, to have as much delight in the movie as possible.”
        & “I feel like we were able to achieve that delight. When I look at the movie, I can’t resist it. It just tickles me.”

        https://www.wired.com/2015/11/lawrence-kasdan-qa/

        IMO again – delight as the main goal likely led to stuff like that.

        That said, I thought the movie Grand Canyon by Kasdan was a great one – that was a long time ago so maybe re-watching it wouldn’t be, but anyways.

    • June 23, 2017 at 3:38 am
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      They didn’t ruin the victories in ROTJ. They are still victories.

      • June 23, 2017 at 8:01 am
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        Yeah they did. Just like in Ghostbusters 2 where the movie starts out with the Ghostbusters disgraced, having been sued for what they did in the final battle in the original. Undoing the success of a previous film in between films is one of the cheesiest, hackiest, most uncreative ways to write a sequel. It shows all you want to do is repeat the same story arc you did in the previous movie, which is exactly the duller-than-dirt approach Kennedy, Kasdan and Abrams took in TFA and why it was one of the most disappointing sequels since Ghostbusters 2.

        • June 23, 2017 at 1:40 pm
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          They didn’t change anything about the end of ROTJ – the only person whoever tweaked that was George Lucas so no, they didn’t change it.

          What happens 30 years afterward is a different chapter in the story, but it doesn’t rewrite the story; especially since Luke finds himself at a point in his life he has never been before and the audience has not yet seen – so no, in that respect it’s not like Ghostbusters II either.

  • June 23, 2017 at 12:31 am
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    This nonsense-fest should be cancelled and never see the light of day. It is an embarrassment to the franchise to have been green lit in the first place, and it is no shocker that such a terrible idea meets with such controversy.

    • June 23, 2017 at 1:49 am
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      Ikr, who would ever make a movie with HAN SOLO in it??

      /s

      • June 23, 2017 at 7:59 am
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        Yeah, who would ever take a famous Harrison Ford franchise character and recast a different actor to play a young version of him? The reviews and box office would surely be disastrous! Unless the movie was Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. That one had a lot more jokes and humor than Raiders of the Lost Ark too, and I didn’t hear anyone complaining while they were laughing their butts off at all the great one-liners at the theater back in ’89.

  • June 23, 2017 at 12:46 am
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    those Ace Ventura scenes to become the Holyday Special of the new canon.

  • June 23, 2017 at 12:57 am
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    Kasdan, that’s two now, you have failed me for the last time. But the really scary part is this: “…an interesting new take on Han that stands out on its own while still honoring the essentials of the character,”

    “His own take”, man the big problem since this was announced was how is he going to fill Ford’s shoes? I have a bad….

    And if I were Bob Iger, I let this woman handle the monies and hire some actual filmmaker to oversee the creative aspect of the movies.

  • June 23, 2017 at 1:00 am
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    Not heard of a writer having creative sway over a director or production before. Also, Ehrenreich was concerned about the ‘screwball’ angle of Lord & Miller but was turning in an Ace Ventura style performance himself – lol.

    • June 23, 2017 at 1:00 am
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      The Ventura type feel was probably due to the improvisational nature they want all actors to have on the set.

    • June 23, 2017 at 2:01 am
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      Kasdan is also an executive producer.

    • June 23, 2017 at 3:44 am
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      I would also add to your point : even IF (it could be hearsay) true – who is to say that some good comedy would be a bad thing in a particular SW movie, or even a whole movie that is like that? (It might be the best type of treatment for a “Han Solo” movie that doesn’t have Harrison Ford in it as Han, and for a movie that probably many were least looking forward to seeing anthology-wise. It could have the full spectrum of emotions etc.

      This is just one movie out of the many that will come probably – while I hope they have a Star Wars feel I also hope they are different too; I would give the green light to make many SW movies – all with different directors, of all types & etc. that would be cool IMO

  • June 23, 2017 at 1:17 am
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    “Similar to Jim Carrey in Ace Ventura.” Are they outta their fucking minds? It’s bad enough we’re getting a spin off we don’t want, the least you can do is be more faithful to the source material.

  • June 23, 2017 at 1:17 am
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    “Similar to Jim Carrey in Ace Ventura.” Are they outta their fucking minds? It’s bad enough we’re getting a spin off we don’t want, the least you can do is be more faithful to the source material.

  • June 23, 2017 at 1:22 am
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    So Alden Ehrenreich snitched on the directors? And because he’s “in” with the high-ups of Lucasfilm due to his Spielberg connections, the directors got shafted.

    The “Ace Ventura” comments must surely be hearsay.

    I suspect Lord & Miller were right to want to handle any reshoots themselves, rather than have someone come in late and take over their work ala Tony Gilroy on ROGUE ONE.

    • June 23, 2017 at 6:56 am
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      Snitched? He’s the star of the film and expressed his reservations about where it was going. People are already complaining about this movie and Ehrenreich’s going to be the public face of its reception. If it flops it could seriously affect his career.

  • June 23, 2017 at 1:28 am
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    Surprisingly I am more excited for the film than I was before Lord and Miller were fired. I love Ron Howard. Haven’t seen any Lord and Miller movies so I guess that’s probably why. Its also great to hear how serious Alden is taking things.

  • June 23, 2017 at 1:28 am
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    Kathleen Kennedy and Lucasfilm don’t come off well ( to me at least ) in this – this is TWICE they’ve sought to step in very late into the game of the anthology films and drastically overhaul the movie and neuter the director.

    Whereas, Gareth Edwards seems like a really lovely guy and was probably shocked and dismayed, but wanted to play ball, Lord & Miller ( with their string of 4 massive hits, and not a bad word about them from their prior productions ) wanted to fight their corner and stand up for their integrity.

    • June 23, 2017 at 5:22 am
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      I tend to agree with you. This article is written in such a way that basically paints Lord & Miller as rebellious assholes and Kennedy as God’s gift to Star Wars. At the VERY least she did a horrible job in the vetting process. Lord & Miller didn’t suddenly decide to start improvising with this film, it’s part of their style. If you refuse to place any further blame on Kennedy, you at least have to concede she failed miserably in her due diligence.

      Furthermore, I was under the impression the spin offs were meant to take risks and try new things. With Rogue One she came in and completely changed act three, restructured the film into the standard Star Wars film arc. Now we have this incident. So that’s two for two on taking these films meant to try new things and going “nope we want what we know.” I had been on her side up until this point but now it just comes off as a “my way or the highway scenario.”

      I also don’t buy for a second that Lord & Miller were turning Han into Ace Ventura. Their humor isn’t anything like that and unless they had “improvised” the entire script, I can’t imagine them taking Kasdan’s script and sticking to it while turning Han into Ace. If that was even remotely possible then Kasdan is as much to blame.

      • June 23, 2017 at 5:28 am
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        “Furthermore, I was under the impression the spin offs were meant to take risks and try new things.”

        Yes, but that doesn’t mean that it’s okay to turn Han Solo into Space Ventura: Nerf Detective

        “With Rogue One she came in and completely changed act three, restructured the film into the standard Star Wars film arc”

        Actually, she simplified the action and consolidated two of the locations in the film to make the ending less bloated. The overall story stayed the same. And by the way, I would personally consider it a “new thing” to kill off every main character at the end of a Star Wars film.

        But that’s just me.

      • June 23, 2017 at 5:28 am
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        “Furthermore, I was under the impression the spin offs were meant to take risks and try new things.”

        Yes, but that doesn’t mean that it’s okay to turn Han Solo into Space Ventura: Nerf Detective

        “With Rogue One she came in and completely changed act three, restructured the film into the standard Star Wars film arc”

        Actually, she simplified the action and consolidated two of the locations in the film to make the ending less bloated. The overall story stayed the same. And by the way, I would personally consider it a “new thing” to kill off every main character at the end of a Star Wars film.

        But that’s just me.

        • June 23, 2017 at 5:42 am
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          I don’t buy that Ace Ventura shit for a second. The entire article is written in such a way that maligns Lord & Miller and praises Kennedy when in reality we don’t truly know how it all played out. We will hear a one sided PR story.

          Now I’m not some huge Lord & Miller fan, I actually only liked their Jump Street movies. Didn’t care for Lego or Meatball. However, their work has been widely praised and their directing style is well known. If they didn’t want them to do their thing, don’t hire them.

          And by “new things” I more meant directing and production style. Such as breaking away from their traditional 3 act arc with a big/important battle at the very end or coming up with a story/style that doesn’t fit the norm for Star Wars.

          From what I understand Rogue One was altered so it would have more of a Star Wars feel to it. I read somewhere and recently (although I can’t remember where. It may have been on this site) that they wanted to try and keep the “this is a war movie” feel to it but make it conform more to the standard Star Wars trope.

          • June 23, 2017 at 6:33 am
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            I’m sorry to tell you, but Rogue One has always been a (not really) war movie. Simplifying the ending didn’t change THAT. It just made the ending less of a clusterfuck. R1 was NEVER going to be Saving Private Ryan in space.

            As for Han Solo, I think “Ace Ventura” might be exaggerating, but just think about Lord and Miller’s filmography so far. They are definitely fans of all-out meta humor, which is NOT what Han Solo is. Some directors are flexible when it comes to their comedic styles (like the Russo Brothers), but Lord and Miller clearly aren’t. In reality, they were probably straying into *Starlord* territory. While that’s not a bad thing in and of itself, it’s also not Han Solo.

            TL;DR: L&M wanted comedic, but Han Solo’s style is more sarcastic/selfish humor. If they weren’t willing to honor the character, then good riddance.

          • June 23, 2017 at 6:48 am
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            But that ultimately circles back to my original point. L&M do their thing. They take something, add things they like and continue, improvising here and there where they see fit. Now I’m not saying they are right and Kennedy is wrong, I’m just saying this is something that should have been figured out before filming began. If Lucasfilm is entertaining hiring a director(s) that are known for improvising their work and they want something that sticks to what’s on the page, maybe address it before shooting the film rather than just assume they’ll break tradition.

            I mean clearly there was a communication failure when we have L&M stating “We thought they hired us to make a comedy.” I just think its wrong that both this article and so many comments are maligning L&M when Lucasfilm/Kennedy clearly didn’t do their homework on these guys.

          • June 23, 2017 at 6:50 am
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            “I’m just saying this is something that should have been figured out before filming began.”

            I agree. However, I don;’t think Lucasfilm is 100% against improv. It’s more of a character thing. To improve one’s lines is one thing. To change the tone/characterization of a character like Han Solo is another. I guess we’ll have to wait to see which version of events is closest to reality.

          • June 23, 2017 at 6:52 am
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            D’oh! Feeling redundant now.

          • June 23, 2017 at 7:13 am
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            Again my only real issue here is painting any one side as the one in the wrong. I don’t hate Kennedy, in fact I am a fan of a lot of what she has done for Star Wars. I’m not one of the ones calling for her to be fired or resign.

            Both parties are to blame in this mess and it should have been addressed long before now. One side went too far with liberties taken and the other side din’t vet them enough to realize this was a real potential issue.

            Just imagine if they had been asked beforehand: “If we don’t like the direction you’re taking our film will you agree to let us come in and supervise the reshoots?” Or: “We want the film to stick to the written script, Kasdan isn’t a fan of improv. Can you do that?” We would have heard L&M passed on the project before even being hired.

          • June 23, 2017 at 6:52 am
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            Many directors have “their thing” but can move beyond that after a few films. Maybe Kennedy and Kasdan thought they were giving Lord and Miller a chance to do that. Also, improvisation on set does not have to change the tone of the film.

          • June 23, 2017 at 7:04 am
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            “Maybe Kennedy and Kasdan thought they were giving Lord and Miller a chance to do that.”

            Ok but you’re making my point for me. If you are hiring someone who has been known to make changes to the scripts they are handed and you don’t want any changes made (as was addressed about Kasdan in one of the other articles here), why would you just assume or think it’ll be any different? This is something that should be discussed beforehand.

            This may be a shitty metaphor but whatever. If you had the exact blueprints to your dream home and were hiring a contractor to build your house and they had been previously praised for taking design liberties when building houses, would you just assume they wouldn’t take liberties with your dream home? Or would you be like “Dude please just stick to the exact blueprints, can you do that without altering it?”

          • June 23, 2017 at 9:19 pm
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            But again, if that was the issue, what in hell was Kennedy doing with her thumb up her ass for all of pre-production and 4 months of principal? She massively dropped the ball on this one.

          • June 23, 2017 at 11:04 pm
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            She was watching the footage, most of which was probably just fine on its own. But once the footage was assembled, only then did it become clear that the ending was too complicated/overblown. So she had it reshot and simplified. In my opinion, that’s not *dropping* the ball, that’s picking it up off the floor.

          • June 23, 2017 at 7:54 am
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            Lego Movie was hilarious, visionary and brilliant, the most creative and energized use of animation since Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Toy Story. I had no real concerns about Edwards being sidelines on Rogue One but Lord and Miller are a much more proven quantity. I trust them more than the people who put together the dumb and dismal Force Awakens.

      • June 23, 2017 at 7:14 am
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        You’ve put that perfectly. Absolutely agree.

      • June 23, 2017 at 8:08 am
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        I couldn’t have said it better myself man. But yeah, this reeks of mismanagement and cold-feet. Really, what was LF expecting for this movie. This isn’t a Joe and Anthony Russo who were comedy directors, but clearly wanted to do something different. Lord and Miller are comedic directors full and through. And I say this as someone who loved Jump Street. Lego movie, not so much, but still an entertaining film.

        And really, I do question LucasFIlm’s attempts at an anthology film. Wasn’t this supposed to be where the brand could diversify, tell different stories under the MCU method of different genres, production or tones?

        For granted, we do not know the full-details of how off the rail it was, but knowing Lord and Miller their films do have a sense of cohesion. And I could see them adhering to the basic ideas of SWs, but adding some twists to them. Because, let’s face it; every franchise/tentpole has a core series of tropes, themes and aspects that make it that franchise.

        But overall, this has me concerned about the future anthology films going forward. As for this film, I probably not see it. I say this as someone who could care less about Han Solo and really I do love Ron Howard, but even then I still am very skeptical this movie will be able to do what RO did.

        But I am always willing to be proven wrong. And want to be. 🙂

        • June 23, 2017 at 9:03 am
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          Could the success of RO have Lucasfilm rethinking the entire stand alone movie idea?

          Is Han Solo being reshaped from a goofy one off comedy into a more tradition Star Wars movie intended to kick off a new series set around episodes 4,5, and 6 with recast Original Trilogy Characters?

          Did Lucasfilm bringing in Ron Howard to set the tone and working model of these movies like Jon Favreau did with Iron Man for Marvel?

          • June 23, 2017 at 8:09 pm
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            Probably not.

      • June 24, 2017 at 10:10 pm
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        Maybe Han Solo was turning into a Star Lord like character…which I don’t like too much in Guardians. A little too over the top for my taste for a lead hero that has to lead a group to fight off danger.

    • June 24, 2017 at 10:06 pm
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      People also forget about Desplat being replaced by Giacchino. This is proof that there IS a collaborative process and tough decisions have been made for the sake of the movie.

  • June 23, 2017 at 1:35 am
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    Considering how Han’s character was “ruined” by the special edition of Episode IV, this was a good move from Kennedy’s part.

  • June 23, 2017 at 2:29 am
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    I think this film is gonna be one of the really low points in the franchise like down there with TPM. It just was a bad idea to start with. Now it’s got all this drama attached to it and we still don’t even have a effing title! Not a good start.

    I hope the third anthology is handled better. A zany solo just sounds horrible. Those guys should just make Ace Ventura 3. Ron Howard worked with jim Carey on the grinch and made it work. He also just made inferno with Tom Hank’s and felicity jones, and that was pretty good. so I have faith in him.

    • June 23, 2017 at 5:12 am
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      “I think this film is gonna be one of the really low points in the franchise like down there with TPM.”

      Except this film has a competent director, a good script (in all likelihood), and a studio that’s not afraid to challenge the directors.

      • June 23, 2017 at 5:17 am
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        Hopefully

      • June 23, 2017 at 7:50 am
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        Yeah, because the corporate hacks at the “studio” are always the creative bastion that makes great films while those pesky directors keep getting in the way.

        • June 23, 2017 at 8:08 pm
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          For Lucasfilm, that has legitimately been the case so far. Rogue One is proof.

          • June 26, 2017 at 10:48 pm
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            Agreed, Pretty sure R1 would have turned out like the last Fast & Furious film….awkwardly paced and overbloated. Edwards would have likely ended up with a 3.25 hour film.

  • June 23, 2017 at 2:44 am
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    Lucasfilm gambled with Lord and Miller, and it didn’t work out. That’s show business. Kennedy quite rightly is going nowhere. All this talk of her otherwise is nonsense. The woman is a pro. Lessons will be learnt, but she’ll still have the trust and confidence of the board.

    If anyone will come off badly from this is Lord and Miller. They had a spec to deliver against, they deviated, then refused to play ball. They had to go.

    Until the final movie comes out, I’ll continue to remain positive towards it.

    • June 24, 2017 at 10:03 pm
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      Good post. Sometimes, these things happen and corrective actions need to be made. Lucasfilm was willing to do just that. Congrats to Ron Howard btw. May Opie be with us….always !!

      • June 25, 2017 at 2:27 am
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        Thanks man, and indeed.

    • June 28, 2017 at 10:26 am
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      No, Kennedy came off badly. She didn’t pay attention to the kinds of movies Lord and Miller make, she didn’t do the research, made false promises of creative freedom, and them backed down on that at the last minute.

      Not that Lord and Miller shouldn’t have expected controlling execs, but they shouldn’t be thrown under the bus just because Lucasfilm screwed the pooch and got too cocky.

      • June 28, 2017 at 12:49 pm
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        The end game of Lucasfilm is to release a high quality product in the SW mold. Clearly, that couldn’t be achieved with Lord and Miller continuing at the helm. Kennedy, was their client that they failed to appease. Reading between the lines, they were given the chance to make it happen, but instead, acted otherwise. Han Solo was a big production, different rules and governance to what they have been accustomed to in the past.

        They will return to directing mid-sized budget type fare in the future.

        • June 28, 2017 at 6:44 pm
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          That doesn’t change the fact that Kennedy and Lucasfilm screwed up as well and should take some responsibility over what went wrong. This isn’t the first time there’s been conflict over this kind of stuff either, and unless Lucasfilm gets its act together, it won’t be the last.

  • June 23, 2017 at 3:06 am
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    So, like Obi-Wan, it’s all Kasdan’s fault.

  • June 23, 2017 at 3:08 am
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    Kasdan didn’t write the “I Love you. I know.” exchange. Ironically, that scene was improvised on the set with Kershner and the actors.

    • June 23, 2017 at 4:07 am
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      Which is why I said it’s an exception.

      – Pomojema

      • June 23, 2017 at 7:48 am
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        Twitter recently revealed a script page showing Carrie Fisher rewrote almost all of the dialogue in the “with the rest of the garbage” scene on the set with pen on paper. There was a lot of improvisation on the Star Wars OT, probably far more than has been documented.

  • June 23, 2017 at 3:17 am
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    “This is due to legal shenanigans with the Director’s Guild of America and a bunch of legal crap…”

    That legal crap is there to prevent studios shitting completely on directors.

    • June 23, 2017 at 4:08 am
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      But the story here is about Star Wars, not the specifics of legal stuff. It’s important but I don’t want to explain it here.

      -Pomojema

      • June 23, 2017 at 4:18 am
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        Yeah, I get that, but shenanigans is more a negative term implying dishonesty.

    • June 23, 2017 at 4:21 am
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      I can agree with that – but, there should be a way to make exceptions; not that RH is not the better choice anyways.

      Sometimes legal crap doesn’t keep up with the original intention it was made for.

    • June 23, 2017 at 4:21 am
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      I can agree with that – but, there should be a way to make exceptions; not that RH is not the better choice anyways.

      Sometimes legal crap doesn’t keep up with the original intention it was made for.

      • June 23, 2017 at 4:23 am
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        The case here is that Lucasfilm simply made a mistake.

  • June 23, 2017 at 3:58 am
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    I have never been so disinterested in a Star Wars project ever and I’ve been a huge fan of nearly everything Star Wars since the 70’s.

  • June 23, 2017 at 4:07 am
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    I feel a disturbance in the Force.

  • June 23, 2017 at 4:56 am
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    Lucas film should make a comedy Star Wars film and Musical. I would like the Obi-Wan film to be a musical like LaLa Land. It could win Academy Award.

    • June 23, 2017 at 6:07 am
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      Unless Warren Beatty misreads the card and the real winner ends up being “Transformers 6: Michael Bay’s Revenge.”

  • June 23, 2017 at 4:57 am
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    I worked in a few films and tv shows as a historical consultant. Regardless if they were small or big productions, I always me the most shallow people with huge (easily bruised) egos. Having a bunch of people like that all trying to run the show differently never works. I hated that stuff…good money though 🙂

  • June 23, 2017 at 5:04 am
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    So when it’s time for the credits, will Lord & Miller get any credit for directing some of the movie or will it just say, Directed by Ron Howard?

    • June 23, 2017 at 5:27 am
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      The DGA decides on that front. All three names will be in the credits, it’s just that it’s not up to Lucasfilm to make the call in which order they appear in.

      – Pomojema

      • June 24, 2017 at 2:32 am
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        I was uder impression that DGA rules were – no director should be fired after the production begins, only under heavy circumstances. And if the director decides not to be included in the credits, the nexctor who takes over the production can´t be in the credits….they use an alias….

  • June 23, 2017 at 5:14 am
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    My take:

    Kasdan campaigned so hard for Lord/Miller because he loved Captain America: Winter Soldier, i.e. he totally confused them with the Russo brothers and was too embarrassed to admit this to anybody once cameras started rolling

    • June 23, 2017 at 5:17 am
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      Like how Bill Murray only agreed to Garfield because he thought Joel Cohen was one of the Cohen brothers? I’d die laughing.

      • June 23, 2017 at 5:26 am
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        I bet it was three weeks in when Kasdan wondered “why do these dailies look like Space Balls?” then clicked on imdb and was like “the Lego movie? omg what have I done…”

        • June 23, 2017 at 7:37 pm
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          That would just make Kathleen look worse since a competent studio head would do that research before hiring anybody

          • June 23, 2017 at 8:19 pm
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            Obviously the way this rolled out is not ideal — it introduces risk in both the end product and the buzz about the product, which can be just as damaging.

            Having said that, suggesting that Kennedy is not a “competent” exec is not an informed assessment, given her track record. We don’t have insight into all the variables at play here. As a protocol droid who has managed many human-labor projects, I can confirm that sometimes things just don’t go as planned and you have to adjust.

            Personally, I think a less competent and more fearful exec would have done nothing and let an inferior product roll out into the marketplace. I like how Kennedy has the vision to see when things are going poorly, and the drive to do whatever it takes to get things back on track.

    • June 23, 2017 at 5:43 am
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      eye roll

      • June 23, 2017 at 6:39 am
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        ‘Twas a joke.

        • June 23, 2017 at 3:15 pm
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          I know 🙂

  • June 23, 2017 at 5:52 am
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    I was excited about Lord & Miller on Solo but was hesitant about the film from the get go. Hopefully it’s a solid movie and I still trust Lucasfilm & Especially Kennedy. She’s the Shiznit & knows what she’s doing. Happy 4 Ron Howard tho

  • June 23, 2017 at 6:13 am
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    Good heavens! The plot thickens! Oh Lordy, Lordy, Lordy (and Miller)

  • June 23, 2017 at 6:33 am
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    Still, wouldn’t Kennedy be looking at dailies at least often? She just finds out six months in (or four or five) out of the blue from the lead actor that, um, they’re making me stick my head out of the Falcon while I drive it and alirrriiiighty now!

    • June 23, 2017 at 6:35 am
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      It seems (from the rumors) that it was more of a small problem that built up over time. The report says that it was only caught after a WIP cut of the film was made. Honestly, that’s a probably a good thing. It means that the tonal/character issues are subtle, and therefore, they should be easy to fix thorough relatively minor reshoots.

      • June 23, 2017 at 7:36 pm
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        If Kathleen was competent those two guys never get hired & Kathleen should have done more homework or have someone else do it & tell her that hiring these two was a bad idea for what they were looking for. By my count this is all on Kathleen

        • June 23, 2017 at 7:48 pm
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          Kathleen isn’t the one who doesn’t understand Han Solo, lol. See, here’s the problem. Lord & Miller are talented, and that’s why they were hired. However, they’re not versatile. We know that now.

    • June 23, 2017 at 6:56 am
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      I think you meant “Alllllllrighty THEN!”

  • June 23, 2017 at 7:17 am
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    Kasdan and Kennedy seem to have made the mistake of thinking two very talented filmmakers would also be versatile. Maybe Lord & Miller aren’t there yet.

    • June 23, 2017 at 9:18 am
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      I think everyone should have been more straightforward about what was or wasn’t allowed with this project.

    • June 23, 2017 at 10:14 am
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      It doesn’t seem like versatility is wha KK is after, but just dogsbodies who will just point-and-shoot what KK and the higher-ups want – in which case, they should have just hired any number of journeymen TV or music promo directors.

      • June 23, 2017 at 7:47 pm
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        Well if KK and the higher-ups want a good, faithful portrayal of Han Solo, then maybe it’s a good thing that they want a director who’ll honor that.

      • June 24, 2017 at 6:58 pm
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        The fact they didn’t seems to disprove your point. There is a lot of room between “dogsbodies who will just point-and-shoot what KK and the higher-ups want” and “here’s $100 million — have fun and call us when it’s done.” It sounds to me like the execs were patient and hoped things would work out; otherwise they wouldn’t have let it go so long.

  • June 23, 2017 at 7:41 am
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    Hmmm. 208 comments so far (and counting). Maybe more people DID actually care about this film being made than we were lead to believe…

    It’s funny. Us Star Wars fanatics are like Soap Operas – full of overwrought drama and conflict, otherwise things are boring. Addicted to chaos. I hope this movie can be salvaged and we can eventually be truly entertained by it. If not, I’ve been disappointed by a (or maybe a few) Star Wars films before. We’ll live. We’ll wail and moan endlessly on the internet, but we’ll live.

  • June 23, 2017 at 7:41 am
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    Hmmm. 208 comments so far (and counting). Maybe more people DID actually care about this film being made than we were lead to believe…

    It’s funny. Us Star Wars fanatics are like Soap Operas – full of overwrought drama and conflict, otherwise things are boring. Addicted to chaos. I hope this movie can be salvaged and we can eventually be truly entertained by it. If not, I’ve been disappointed by a (or maybe a few) Star Wars films before. We’ll live. We’ll wail and moan endlessly on the internet, but we’ll live.

  • June 23, 2017 at 8:06 am
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    Isn’t the point of a spinoff standalone is that it is daring and different from what we know and expect of Star Wars?

    • June 23, 2017 at 8:11 am
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      That is exactly the question I asked about this. Because, really what is the point of these anthology films, if they aren’t different? Heck, the name anthology refers to a collection of short stories, poems, and songs. And more often, a lot of them different, but intrinsically valuable.

      And really, if this brand wants to continue on and not face dilution; this will need be the direction. Overall, I may not care about this movie, but I do care about what it might mean for the future of these movies. And I hope it isn’t bad.

      • June 23, 2017 at 12:18 pm
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        Well said sir.

        • June 23, 2017 at 5:01 pm
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          Thank you. This story just has me very confused and to be honest.

    • June 23, 2017 at 9:14 am
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      Maybe it’s not a standalone movie anymore, but the start of a new series set around and between the Original Trilogy with new actors playing the main characters.

      • June 23, 2017 at 2:10 pm
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        Please no..

        • June 24, 2017 at 10:04 pm
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          Please, no? There’s ALREADY a trilogy of Han Solo books (the final one, ending where Han Solo meets Obi Wan/Luke in Episode IV). I would have loved the Han backstory to cover three films. Could have been a lot of fun – plenty of material there.

      • June 23, 2017 at 7:34 pm
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        No thanks

    • June 23, 2017 at 9:24 am
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      There is being different and then there is Ace Ventura in space different. Not the biggest Han Solo fan but that would’ve destroyed my image of him.

      • June 23, 2017 at 8:44 pm
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        But again, the ONLY source for that assessment is an anonymous person inside LFL, which is busy trying to do damage control right now.

    • June 23, 2017 at 3:29 pm
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      Yes, but there are degrees of that.

    • June 23, 2017 at 7:42 pm
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      Not at the expense of ruining a classic character

    • June 23, 2017 at 7:44 pm
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      Yes. The point of a spinoff is NOT to ruin the character of Han Solo, however.

    • June 24, 2017 at 2:49 am
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      If the film is supposed to be canon it has to be tonally consistent with the original films. New and interesting stories, yes, but character and tone must match the classic films. If they don’t want to do that and would like to be experimental it needs to be taken out of the existing Star Wars universe, I feel.

  • June 23, 2017 at 8:33 am
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    Back To The Future turned out awesome under similar circumstances. Hopefully Howard just starts over.

    • June 23, 2017 at 9:17 am
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      Not enough time to start over, I’d assume. But he can certainly get the film delayed within a reasonable window.

      • June 23, 2017 at 9:51 am
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        Why would they need to delay the movie? Almost the exact same thing happened last year with RO and they still made the original December release date. This doesn’t come out for almost a year from now.

  • June 23, 2017 at 9:33 am
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    Sounds like Kennedy made the right call, but keep in mind any lashback against her is her own doing. When she has made it very apparent that older fans aren’t relevant, they aren’t going to be very happy

    • June 23, 2017 at 7:43 pm
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      “When she has made it very apparent that older fans aren’t relevant, they aren’t going to be very happy”

      [CITATION NEEDED]

  • June 23, 2017 at 9:35 am
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    “Bad Idea Goes Bad”

    Glad this is happening. Disney needs to learn that just because you slap the name “Star Wars” on something doesn’t mean it’ll be great.

    A lot of people on this site need to learn that too.

    • June 23, 2017 at 3:28 pm
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      Not really and you have some things to learn too since Disney doesn’t influence creative.

    • June 23, 2017 at 7:43 pm
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      See, I have a problem with this. Wishing for a movie to fail just because you think that it’s “unnecessary” or not the best idea in the world is such a strange thing to do. To me, it speaks to larger “lynch mob” culture of the Internet.

      • June 24, 2017 at 3:06 pm
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        Thank you for your cordial response. Actually, I’m not wishing that it fails. If it ends up being good then that’s good for Star Wars, and I’ll come back here and make a post about how I was wrong and that I’m glad it’s a good movie, because that’s how I am. But going back to my original concern over this movie, I want Disney to know that they need to be really carefull about how they deal with Star Wars.

        • June 24, 2017 at 9:43 pm
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          I believe in the end, this movie will be very enjoyable due to the fact that Lucasfilm and Kennedy are WILLING to change things up if they don’t like what the creatives are doing….even willing to create a short-term PR mess in the process, they want to put out a great product….every time.

        • June 24, 2017 at 10:58 pm
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          “I want Disney to know that they need to be really carefull about how they deal with Star Wars.”

          Yeah. Because Disney reads these comments….

  • June 23, 2017 at 10:18 am
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    best would be to to merge this Han idea into a bounty hunter film, this would reignite interest and is vastly more intriguing than seeing Han meet Chewie or seeing Han win the Millenium Falcon from Lando and fly the Kessel Run which we know already.

    • June 23, 2017 at 7:41 pm
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      We could always have Han appear in the Bounty Hunter movie. As for THIS film, there’s no going back.

  • June 23, 2017 at 12:17 pm
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    I really fucking hate studio execs. Kasdan is a shitty writer, and every time he writes a script he’s probably told by Kennedy to make the most safe and unimaginative script that will be sure to appeal to the masses of dipshits who clap every time they see a character from the previous trilogies (fan service). They don’t strive to be exceptional, and because of their lack of creativity I’m starting to lose interest in this franchise. The fact that they are releasing a Star Wars film every single year is ridiculously greedy to me, and it makes this franchise considerably less special. I’m starting to lose faith 🙁

    • June 23, 2017 at 12:39 pm
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      You completely lost all credibility your second sentence in.

      • June 23, 2017 at 12:41 pm
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        Haha and why is that? Because you saw the Ace Ventura section of the article and you immediately discredited these directors, particularly because you are extremely narrow-minded? Get a grip.

        • June 23, 2017 at 1:12 pm
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          Did you edit your post? Your second sentence was originally about Kasdan being a shitty writer and that’s what I was referring to. BTW, I don’t care about the Ace Ventura remarks but if you want Han Solo being portrayed as a horrible Jim Carrey clone then that’s your prerogative

          • June 23, 2017 at 8:43 pm
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            Kasdan is not a great writer. Or at least, not in the last 30-40 years he isn’t. Literally everything his proponents raise in his defense was written when George Bush Sr was in the Whitehouse and before. His output as writer and director since the mid to late 80s has been…not good.

      • June 23, 2017 at 3:28 pm
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        First sentence for me.

        • June 23, 2017 at 7:38 pm
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          Same here. Being “creative” is not the same as creating Space Ventura: Wookiee Detective.

          • June 23, 2017 at 7:51 pm
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            haha

          • June 23, 2017 at 8:39 pm
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            Which it’s not at all clear that they were making. None of their previous films or television could accurately be described as having an ‘Ace Ventura’ vibe, and the only place that comment is coming from is an anonymous source inside LFL. I can’t help but think it’s exaggeration in service of damage control at best.

          • June 23, 2017 at 8:58 pm
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            I’m guessing that it was more along the lines of Starlord than Ace Ventura. But regardless, it should have been in along the Lines of Han Solo, and it seems that that wasn’t the case.

          • June 23, 2017 at 9:24 pm
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            Well, again, ‘according to anonymous, off the record sources at LFL’, which is in emergency damage control mode right now, particularly since L&M were really the main reason those more…skeptical fans like myself were coming around on this film, it seems fair to point out that LFL needs to discredit them as making something that no fan would want to see. Regardless of what really went on (and man, again, I hope some day Disney has the balls to let someone like Rinzler do a full disection on what’s been going on at Lucasfilm during this period), there is simply no way that Kennedy should have let them get through pre-production and 4 months of principal photography before figuring out that they weren’t making the movie she wanted.

            (edit – I do like “Space Venutura” though 🙂 )

          • June 23, 2017 at 11:03 pm
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            “it seems fair to point out that LFL needs to discredit them as making something that no fan would want to see”

            To be fia,r I doubt that L&M would get fired if Lucasfilm thought they were making something that a lot of fans would like or want to see. I do agree, though, that KK should have been watching L&M more closely so that they didn’t have to be fired after months of shooting.

          • June 24, 2017 at 9:33 pm
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            Yes….luv it, I would see it in a parsec.

    • June 24, 2017 at 9:32 pm
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      This is ONLY the 2nd spinoff movie, so they should play it a little safe…..for now.

  • June 23, 2017 at 2:51 pm
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    Han comes out of the trash compactor waving his hand in front of his pants: “WHEWWWW ! Do NOT go in there”.
    Maybe I could see Lord and Miller’s vision coming true.

  • June 23, 2017 at 3:58 pm
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    This smells like a puff piece of damage control to me. Just my opinion though.

  • June 23, 2017 at 4:44 pm
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    Like it or not (and comic book movies aren’t really my thing), Marvel sets the standard for cinematic universes. Sure, their movies are an assembly line of homogeneity, but the folks at Marvel have a plan. Each of those movies is a piece of a larger story — one that has been meticulously plotted out.

    Lucasfilm, on the other hand, appears to be winging it. They don’t know where this next trilogy is heading, or if there’ll be another one after it. For their standalones, they keep hiring all the wrong directors, then either firing or sidelining them. (For the record, there are plenty of rea$on$ that Gareth Edwards was a “team player”).

    Kennedy has been a prolific producer, for sure. And both Star Wars movies have proven critically and financially successful. But there’s a reason a lot of people, like myself, are concerned about the current direction of Lucasfilm. Cinematic universes need meticulous planning, and that takes strong leadership with a good sense for long-form storytelling. So far, I’m just not seeing it.

    • June 23, 2017 at 7:37 pm
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      “Lucasfilm, on the other hand, appears to be winging it. They don’t know where this next trilogy is heading, or if there’ll be another one after it.”

      Despite what Lucasfilm has said, I really don’t believe that. No big movie studio wouldn’t have their entire pipeline mapped out.

      • June 23, 2017 at 8:37 pm
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        Mmmm….we’ve already seen backpedaling on dates and just which and how many films are in the pipeline. I think it’s more a case of trying to figure out what’s going to be a good balance in terms of production schedule than simply ‘winging it’, but it doesn’t look like there’s a real plan so far.

        • June 23, 2017 at 8:41 pm
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          They have a plan, it’s just that plans change. The MCU is actually an example of that. When Phase 3 was first announced 2-ish years ago, Spider-Man: Homecoming wasn’t a part of it, Ant-Man and the Wasp was not included, and the orders/release dates of several films were completely different from what they are now. The thing is, release date shuffles and things like that have always been going on, it’s just that noways, fans like studios to announce their upcoming film pipelines so that they can excited/hyped. But, like I said, plans change.

          • June 23, 2017 at 9:37 pm
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            I have to say, a plan where entire films disappear from the schedule, and you have no idea what you’re doing after the two remaining chapters of what you’ve announced as a trilogy, nor really what those two movies are going to be, is not much of a plan.

          • June 23, 2017 at 11:01 pm
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            “you have no idea what you’re doing after the two remaining chapters of what you’ve announced as a trilogy, nor really what those two movies are going to be”

            See, that’s the thing. Not having *revealed* future plans is not the same as not *having* future plans. Behind the scenes events will inevitable cause certain film to shift release or even get canceled. That’s inevitable when you’re dealing with tons of films, directors, and creative teams. Lucasfilm’s plan is about as solid as anyone else’s in Hollywood. Maybe it’s wrong for them to revel their plans so long before they materialize; that would be a fair thing to argue. But you can only complain so much about the development of future plans before people just stop listening. What will happen will happen. I can at least say that much.

  • June 23, 2017 at 5:25 pm
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    Kennedy…TFA, once again I’m minority, but that film is divisive and I see many people coming around that it wasn’t as good after that shine has worn off. The $ is not the metric to decide if the movie was good/ although a metric that Disney will most certainly use. I get it. And I also understand they are marketing towards a new fan base.. I get that as well.

    Rogue One was a hit with hardcore fans and casual alike….Personally I think they should take note of this film as a basis for future films.

    Rebels…some great highs with a lot of filler in-between

    Personally, I don’t like the new direction of SW and the story group leaves much to be desired in my opinion. Say what you will, but Lucas should have been retained for consulting, as Kathy IMO…threw George’s ideas out the window and formed the story group to advise her on how SW should move forward.

    I am happy that we are getting more SW, but they are going to grind it in the ground with yearly projects going on. My hopes are high with 8 but Solo was a questionable project to begin with. Here’s to hoping that they will right the ship…at least in my eyes.

    Kathy,,,,call George and get him involved!

    • June 23, 2017 at 9:23 pm
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      The problem with most Star Wars fans is they could sell dog shit to them as long as it has the logo or a lightsaber on it. Rogue One was a boring slog of a film and the only reason they put all the Vader stuff in during reshoots was because they realized that. And of course TFA was just a remake/soft reboot, and the ONLY reason it was successful was because the OT characters were in it, specifically Han Solo.

      • June 24, 2017 at 1:42 am
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        The problem with a lot of OTHER Star wars fna sis that they tend to look at the OT with rose-colored glasses, giving them sky-high expectations that can never be met. the they whine about it online, much to my chagrin.

        • June 24, 2017 at 2:44 am
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          The original trilogy is objectively better than anything else made since. That isn’t nostalgia.

          • June 24, 2017 at 3:10 am
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            That’s your subjective opinion.

            I don’t really disagree, but opinions are opinions. Anyway, I’m not saying that the OT isn’t good. I’m saying that some people like to pretend that the OT is perfect and that other Star wars films must be perfect as well.

          • June 24, 2017 at 3:14 am
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            It’s the critical and fan consensus and not one coloured by nostalgia is what I meant, but I take your point.

          • June 24, 2017 at 3:31 am
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            Consensus – A widely held or agreed upon…*opinion* (when not related to science).

            I still agree, though, with the exception that I think that R1 is better overall than RotJ.

          • June 24, 2017 at 3:53 am
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            Yes, a poor choice of words, which is why I elaborated with my follow-up. I’d say Rogue One is tonally out of sync with the original trilogy (which are family films not action movies) with some bland performances. I think Jedi has far more iconic characters and memorable moments than any Star Wars film made since the ’80s. A certain type of genre fan likes things to be ‘gritty’ and ‘dark’ though which may account for the first spin-off’s positive reception. Of course the more films they make in any series the less original something becomes and the harder it is to surprise us. That’s just inevitable.

          • June 24, 2017 at 5:37 am
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            “I think Jedi has far more iconic characters and memorable moments than any Star Wars film made since the ’80s.”

            Of course it does, it an OT film built on the back of two other critically acclaimed films. I see what you mean, though.

          • June 25, 2017 at 2:45 am
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            Well, to be fair, TFA and R1 were also built on the back of those same critically acclaimed films, so…..

          • June 25, 2017 at 3:00 am
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            R1 was led entirely by new characters, as was TFA (for the most part, in addition to having a 30 year time jump). That’s what I mean. It has more iconic characters because it features characters from ANH and ESB, and because it’s 35 years old, lol.

          • June 25, 2017 at 3:38 am
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            Ok, I pretty much agree. A few counterpoints though. Yes, R1 was LED by new characters, but we all know the cameos by Leia, Tarkin, and (especially) Vader were a BIG draw – as was seeing the original Death Star again. And in TFA, I would argue that Han was the co-headliner of that movie along with Rey. Leia, Chewie and R2 and 3PO also pulled people in. Yes, ROTJ was more directly connected to ANH and ESB because of the characters and it’s closer proximity in time, but R1 and TFA benefited from many of the same elements.

            Anyway, maybe I’m weird but I always feel like I have to defend ROTJ like it’s my little brother or something. Like I said, it’s not my favorite Star Wars film, but I get a little tired of how so many people swoon over ANH and ESB and rag on ROTJ. And honestly I think the source for the majority of that criticism can be summed up in one word – Ewoks. I bet if you take them out of the movie or replace them with a “cooler” and less kiddie-friendly alien race then ROTJ would be just as loved and revered as the other two. I am no Ewok lover by any means (I think Lucas made a mistake with them), but I believe people focus on them too much and let them overshadow all the great elements in that movie. I think it skews a lot of people’s opinion of the movie and clouds their judgement. Anyway, novel rant over….

            BTW, not saying you are one of those people that judge the movie based solely on cutesy Ewoks, but it’s an observation I’ve had discussing the movie in-depth with others.

          • June 25, 2017 at 6:29 am
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            My problem with the Ewoks isn’t that they’re cute, it’s that their success makes the Empire look COMICALLY weak. Stormtroopers died from literally sticks and stones being thrown at their advanced, expensive armor. The Wookiees would have been a much better species to use. They have that “technologically simple” vibe to them while still being a genuine military force. The Ewoks are teddy bears.

          • June 24, 2017 at 9:25 pm
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            Blasphemy !!!! LOL. ROTJ is my favorite SW film, I was 10 years old when I saw it. It is also my favorite film period. HOWEVER, it is NOT the best film I have seen. R1 had a couple scenes that were very emotional and captivating to say the least but ROTJ has the throne room scene….that to this day, is one of my favorite scenes in any movie. Also, Giacchino’s score is better than people give it. I love several of the themes and R1 overall might be the better made movie. But ROTJ is my favorite.

          • June 24, 2017 at 9:44 pm
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            Oh yeah, the trhone room scene is one of my favorite scenes in any movie. That doesn’t necessarily make up for the rest of the film, though, imo.

            I agree, people should listen to Giacchino’s score on YouTube. It’s REALLY good.

          • June 25, 2017 at 2:35 am
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            Not that it really matters to anyone but me, but I thoroughly disagree. ROTJ isn’t my favorite Star Wars film, but I think it’s better than R1. I also think it’s better than the entire PT and TFA. But, like I said, it’s only my opinion. We all have our own opinions on how the films rank from best to worst, and there is no universal “right” answer. Only what’s right to each individual.

          • June 27, 2017 at 10:26 am
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            To preface, I happen to like the OT better than any of the other films. That said, there are no empirical measurements to objectively define the quality of films, so no, the OT is not “objectively” better. The very nature of art is subjective; consensus is not an objective conclusion, no matter how you wish to frame it.

          • June 27, 2017 at 8:13 pm
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            Yes, we’ve already been over this in subsequent replies, but thanks for the belated lecture…

    • June 24, 2017 at 9:13 pm
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      I rather have this direction…than no direction at all if you know what I mean. We can get very nitpicky with what we love, but sometimes, we need to pull back and just enjoy them as movies, nothing more.

  • June 23, 2017 at 7:32 pm
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    Why would Lord & Miller have trouble over this ? Kathleen is incompetent just based on the fact that they got this far. They should have been fired from the get go before shooting or never hired. This is all on Kathleen in that sense because she let this get this far

    • June 23, 2017 at 8:34 pm
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      While I tend to agree, it sounds like she may have deferred a bit to what Larry Kasdan was pushing for. Doesn’t excuse her letting things go this long, but might provide a bit of context.

    • June 23, 2017 at 9:04 pm
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      She’s one of the most, if not the most successful producers in movie history, hardly incompetent.

      • June 23, 2017 at 9:18 pm
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        The problem with that moniker is that the author is basing this on box office gross alone. In that case, Michael Bay is the best director ever.

        • June 23, 2017 at 9:26 pm
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          It’s also based on attaching herself to Speilberg in his prime as a filmmaker.

        • June 23, 2017 at 9:56 pm
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          Do you know what moniker means? Films Kathleen Kennedy has produced: E.T, Poltergeist, Temple of Doom, Gremlins, The Goonies, Back to the future, The Color Purple, Empire of the Sun, who framed Roger Rabbit, Cape Fear, Jurassic Park, Schindlers List, The Sixth Sense, A.i, Munich, Persepolis, Warhorse, Lincoln……critical and commercial successes. That’s not the resume, of someone who is incompetent, if you think otherwise you’re very naive.

      • June 24, 2017 at 12:21 am
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        Even successful people gt incompetent once n a while

        • June 27, 2017 at 10:19 am
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          Even successful people make mistakes. “Incompetent” is pure hyperbole. Kasdan campaigned for the duo, she trusts Kasdan, in her mind it’s in good hands. This isn’t the only film she’s producing, if you hadn’t noticed. Production staff on set should have been raising the alarm earlier. If Kennedy has to come in and save a production then there has been a systemic failure.

          • June 27, 2017 at 2:16 pm
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            You have your opinion & I have mine & that is that either way this falls on Kathleen shes in charge & this movie was Im bad idea so Im jumping with joy that they have having issues. Especially if you add in the reports that LucasFilm is even unhappy with the main actors acting this was not meant to be

  • June 23, 2017 at 9:54 pm
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    “Lawrence Kasdan, the architect of the movie’s script and the guy who wrote the screenplays for The Empire Strikes Back”

    Kasdan did not write ESB. He did a several week “polish” of Lucas’ draft, which very close to the final movie you saw. A polish is very different than writing a script. He had a h bigger hand in Raiders.

    • June 23, 2017 at 11:03 pm
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      Is that true? I saw a very rough treatment by Lucas, and the script by Leigh Brackett wasn’t very good. I thought Kasdan was responsible the best parts of the Empire script, he certainly was for Raiders.

      • June 24, 2017 at 2:42 am
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        In a ‘making of’ book with the screenplays in I recall Lucas saying he didn’t like Leigh Brackett’s script so he didn’t use any of it, but he liked her so he gave her a credit. Kasdan wrote Empire Strikes Back.

        • June 24, 2017 at 3:23 pm
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          There is a log of Speilberg, Lucas and Kasdan spitballing about Raiders of the Lost Ark and created it out of thin air.

          Here is the link to the article.

          http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/spitballing-indy

          There are going to be a ton of people defending Long and Miller but they don’t understand how influential Kasdan has been. He may not get the credit he deserves from most fans, but he wrote the damn script. You do not screw with him and decide to make a comedy out of Han Solo.

          • June 26, 2017 at 2:30 am
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            Same old smuggler wearing the same old clothes given a silly death. They kinda did already with TFA.

        • June 24, 2017 at 4:58 pm
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          Brackett took alot of time writing. By the time Lucas realized her script wasn’t going to work (it bared almost no resemblence to SW), he was forced to write it himself since they were going to be shooting soon. He wrote several drafts, and then brought Kasdan in for a six week “polish”, to tighten things up, etc. So Kasdan did not write the bulk of Empire, he polished Lucas’ draft, which was already very close to the final movie.

      • June 24, 2017 at 5:00 pm
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        No, Lucas wrote most of Empire before he even hired Kasdan. He wrote several drafts after realizing Brackett’s script wouldn’t work (and her drafts were nothing like the final movie). and then brought Kasdan in for a six week “polish” of his script, which was already very close to the final film. Kasdan was hired because Lucas was overseeing the production and needed the script tightened, but he already wrote the bulk of Empire.

    • June 24, 2017 at 3:16 pm
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      Yeah… dude your flat wrong. But to each their own I guess.

      • June 24, 2017 at 4:51 pm
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        It is true. Read the various drafts. Doubt you will.

  • June 23, 2017 at 10:15 pm
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    Heres my hope- that they can retain as much of Lord and Miller’s film as possible while maintaining a consistent tone and telling a good story. My biggest fear is that this will feel like a disjointed film made by two warring factions, and that Ron Howard (who I am not a huge fan of) will not bring enough creativity to the table. As long as the movie feels like it has a consistent voice, and not just that it was made by a committee, I will be satisfied

  • June 24, 2017 at 3:18 am
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    Not surprised by this at all, I thought they were a pretty odd fit for this movie to begin with.

    • June 24, 2017 at 9:02 pm
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      Yep, same here….but I was hopeful due to their recent films being so enjoyable. I started to get on board was Donald Glover was cast actually.

  • June 24, 2017 at 3:56 pm
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    I don’t want to say I told you so, but…

  • June 24, 2017 at 7:40 pm
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    Over 330 posts so far. This has got to be the record for most comments here at SWNN.

  • June 24, 2017 at 8:55 pm
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    Had this happened during The Phantom Menace, Opie would be directing an Eopie…….okay, that was bad, but now we have 334 comments.

  • June 24, 2017 at 9:00 pm
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    When Lucasfilm announced Lord and Miller, I wasn’t on board like some. I wondered if they were going to be able to make Han Solo Star Wars enough….or did Lucasfilm, at the time, want more of a different SW movie, more comedy….but then decided after the success of Rogue One to play it safe? (Thus, Lord and Miller couldn’t deliver what Lucasfilm wanted) Oh well, Howard is the man now.

  • June 26, 2017 at 10:07 pm
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    Opening in December will cause ripples as Warner is set to open Aquaman in December in the slow vacated by Fox’s Avatar 2.

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