Star Wars Universe Thread: May The 4th Be With You

[ronaldo nazario]

Listening to the Bob and Tom radio show this morning and they joked about Ron Howard's Star Wars with Opie Wan Kenobi and Aunt Bee Threepio.

Bob & Tom I miss listening to them, even now that Bob is gone. No stations here in Sacramento have them.

 

[noblekane]

still waiting on a spaceballs sequel

 

[Nike Jordan]

still waiting on a spaceballs sequel

Mel Brooks has been talking about a sequel for years. It's probably too late a sequel, unfortunately. 

 

[wuchi01]

I jumped on a list for a Dark Helmet replica helmet earlier this year and then realized I would've have space to display that big-*** thing so I had to sell my spot Hoping Hot Toys or someone makes an action figure some day.

The RPF? Haven't logged in for long time.
Remember years ago there was a guy that used some flipped over plastic pot container for plants as a starting base. Looked very close.

still waiting on a spaceballs sequel

 

[Nike Jordan]

More on the directorial shake-up on the Han Solo film...

JUNE 26, 2017  6:00am PT by Kim Masters

'Star Wars' Firing Reveals a Disturbance in the Franchise

New details emerge from the set of the troubled Han Solo movie (an editor fired, a last-minute acting coach hired) as insiders debate whether problems trace to directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller or if the Disney and Lucasfilm series can accommodate divergent styles.

Matters had already reached a boiling point in mid-June when Phil Lord and Chris Miller, co-directors of the still untitled young Han Solo movie, were in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon but didn’t start shooting until 1 p.m. That day the two used only three different setups--that is, three variations on camera placement--as opposed to the 12 to 15 that Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy had expected, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. Not only was the going slow but the few angles that had been shot did not provide a wealth of options to use in editing the movie.

This was hardly the first time Kennedy was unhappy with how the film was progressing. And as he looked at dailies from his home in Los Angeles, Lawrence Kasdan - screenwriter, executive producer and keeper of the Stars Wars  flame - also was said to be displeased.

Meanwhile, Lord and Miller, the exceptionally successful team behind The Lego Movie  and 21 Jump Street, were chafing, too, according to a source close to them. There were "deep fundamental philosophical differences" in filmmaking styles, this person says, and the directors felt they were being given "zero creative freedom." They also felt they were being asked to operate under "extreme scheduling constraints" and "were never given enough days for each scene from the very beginning."

Shortly after the shoot in the Millennium Falcon, on June 20, the world learned that Kennedy - with the backing of Disney studio chief Alan Horn - had taken the extraordinary step of firing Lord and Miller. Obviously, Kennedy knew this would set off a storm of publicity that no one wants or needs in any movie--especially one in the Star Wars  universe, where every move is closely by watched by a gigantic audience with a sense of ownership. It's rare and undesirable enough to fire any director. Firing established players like Lord and Miller, who have a fan base ready to give them the benefit of any doubt? That shocked Hollywood's most seasoned veterans.

Anxious to avoid an outright rupture, Kennedy is said to have made attempts first to support and eventually to supplant Lord and Miller to some degree, as happened with Gareth Edwards on the troubled Rogue One. In that case, screenwriter Tony Gilroy took on significant duties with the cooperation of Edwards; in this case, sources say, Kennedy attempted to cast Kasdan in that role. Unsurprisingly, Lord and Miller were less accommodating than Edwards, still a novice, had been. Lord and Miller declined to comment, as did Kennedy.

As soon as shooting got underway, insiders say, it started to become clear that Kennedy’s stated intention of hiring directors who would put their own spin on Star Wars  movies had led to a mismatch. Some insiders say that while the talent of Lord and Miller is undeniable, nothing in their background prepared them for a movie of this size and scope. These sources say they relied too heavily on the improvisational style that served them so well in live-action comedy and animation but does not work on a set with hundreds of crew members waiting for direction.

“You have to make decisions much earlier than what they’re used to,” one of these sources says. “I don’t know if it’s because there were two of them but they were not decisive.” Production department heads began to complain. While the pair appeared to listen when told of festering problems, this person says their approach did not change.

But the source close to Lord and Miller acknowledges they have always worked in an improvisational style and not just add comedic elements. "They collaborate closely with their actors and give them creative freedom that, in their experience, brings out the actors' best performances," this person says. "Lawrence Kasdan would not allow this and demanded that every line was said word for word. To appease him and the studio, Lord and Miller would do several takes exactly as written and then shoot additional takes."

Matters were coming to a head in May as the production moved from London to the Canary Islands. Lucasfilm replaced editor Chris Dickens (Macbeth) with Oscar-winner Pietro Scalia, a veteran of Ridley Scott films including Alien: Covenant and The Martian. And, not entirely satisfied with the performance that the directors were eliciting from Rules Don't Apply  star Alden Ehrenreich, Lucasfilm decided to bring in an acting coach. (Hiring a coach is not unusual; hiring one that late in production is.) Lord and Miller suggested writer-director Maggie Kiley, who worked with them on 21 Jump Street.

When Kennedy felt that these measures did not get the production on track, she asked Kasdan to come to London. Kasdan is said also to have been unhappy with the limited shots and displeased that Lord and Miller were calling out lines for the actors to try from behind the monitor rather than sticking with the script that he had written in collaboration with his son. (Lord and Miller had input on the script before shooting began.) “As a writer, producer and part of Star Wars  world, you get on a plane when that happens,” says a person with knowledge of the situation.

But Lord and Miller were not prepared to have Kasdan become a shadow director. With an impasse reached, Kennedy finally pulled the trigger. The next day, when the crew was told that Ron Howard would take over as director, sources say they broke into applause.

Stepping in to replace directors who have been fired is not something that many filmmakers would want to do. Probably Howard is one of the few who could and would--at least, in this particular set of circumstances. Insiders say he was concerned about how Lord and Miller would react and has been emailing with them; another source says the two have been “very supportive, very elegant.” Howard arrives in London on June 26 and shooting, which began in February and was supposed to be completed in July, now will continue into the first week of September as Howard captures new material. Still, an insider says much of what Lord and Miller shot will be “very usable.”

How credit will be determined is up to the Directors Guild. What will happen next for Lord and Miller isn’t clear but they are in demand and have an open berth waiting for them to direct The Flash  for Warner Bros., if they chose to take it. (They had left that film for the Han Solo movie but could return.)

While Kennedy declined to comment on the episode, just a year ago, THR  did a Q-and-A with her that sheds light on her thinking. Kennedy discussed her belief that within major franchises, it is possible to “take artistic license and creative risks.” She added, “If all you're doing is playing it safe — trying to make the same movie over and over again — that's when the audiences say, `Oh, this is just a moneymaking machine.’ But if it's genuinely in service to the art form, then the franchise concept is being used in a way that's exciting.”

But at the same time, Kennedy--speaking in the context of hiring young, relatively untested directors (as opposed to established filmmakers like Lord and Miller)--said these choices were “instinctual.” And she continued with a statement that seemed, perhaps presciently, to address what may have gone awry on the Han Solo movie: “One of the things I've come to realize since I've been in this position of keeping Star Wars going is that in addition to looking for somebody who can creatively have an impact, you're really looking for leadership skills. No one steps into these big movies without being able to genuinely lead the charge with hundreds of people and [handle] the relationship with the studio. That's a very difficult thing to do, and you don't know [a person can do] that until you get to spend time and watch somebody operate.”

There are some in the industry who see an emerging pattern suggesting that Kennedy’s appetite for creative license and risk-taking will have to be curbed. Josh Trank was dismissed from the second Star Wars  standalone film before he even started based on problems with Fantastic Four; Edwards, who conceived of Rogue One  as a dark war film, was shunted aside; and now this. For all the talk of hiring filmmakers with their own vision, observers say Kennedy and Disney may be learning that the franchise is defined by a particular set of parameters. “All of the films have been `troubled,'" says a top executive at a rival studio. “J.J. [Abrams] was powerful enough to push back on an unrealistic start date [for the first movie] but that was a tug of war. The last one was re-shot by Tony [Gilroy] for months  and now this? This is a systemic problem.”

But an insider argues that Rian Johnson (Looper) shot Star Wars: The Last Jedi,  set for release in December, seamlessly, proving that the right director can execute without major interference from Lucasfilm. The search for new and interesting filmmakers will continue and for many, perhaps, the siren call of Star Wars will be impossible to resist.

On the Han Solo movie, a high-level insider says Kennedy and Disney "were hoping for a meeting of the minds [with Lord and Miller] that never came." But if had Kennedy fired them earlier, another source says, “People would say, `Why the hell didn’t you try to work it out?’ You’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t.”

 

[noblekane]

sounds like kennedy is the problem here sounds like a hypocrite

the article even mentions how she lightened up rogue one

they should just do all the movies themselves if they wont let their directors work.

 

[Master Zik]

Eh, should've got Opie from the jump.

I was never a huge fan of these guys now that I see what movies they've made.

But I'm still on record that a Han Solo movie should've never been greenlit.

Han Solo: Lucasfilm Not Happy with Alden Ehrenreich’s Performance
While the new Han Solo Star Wars anthology film charges on with last-minute replacement director Ron Howard, a new report has emerged that Lucasfilm was not only dissatisfied by the direction under Phil Lord and Chris Miller, but also the performance of the young Han Solo by Hail, Caesar!’s Alden Ehrenreich.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lucasfilm decided to hire an acting coach for Ehrenreich late into the film’s production, with the intent of getting a better performance from the leading man.

Ehrenreich’s acting coach wasn’t the only late-stage hire — the project’s editor, Chris Dickens, was replaced by frequent Ridley Scott collaborator Pietro Scalia.

Not surprised here either. Can't even say I'm not a fan of the guy who got the role. Its just nothing I've seen him in is worth talking about and is barely memorable.

I mean we're talking about young Han Solo. They thought getting Woody, Khaleesi, and rapper/actor Glover Gambino would hide dude? Or that their swag would rub off on him?

Should've just got Harrison Ford and pulled the same Benjamin Button, Tony Stark, Michael Douglas as Hank Pym cgi to look 20 years younger. They just brought out young Leia in R1, why not again.

still waiting on a spaceballs sequel

You can't be serious

Getting a Spaceballs sequel now with Mel at his age is adjacent to a Back to the Future reboot :x

 

[Nike Jordan]

Two hours of a de-aged Harrison Ford would be kinda creepy.

 

[...So]

.

 

[Sinner]

Yikes... what a mess... hope it's not really as messy as it appears.  KK and LK seem to be micromanaging a bit too much... dunno if that's been the norm, but Lord & Miller also appear to be winging it quite a bit, which, I guess, isn't done on bigger productions?  

And, nope... never seen Spaceballs. 

 

[wuchi01]

And, nope... never seen Spaceballs. 

View media item 2476938

 

[Sinner]

 Ok, I've probably seen bits and pieces, but never in its entirety. 

 

[KingParappa]

And, nope... never seen Spaceballs. 

View media item 2476938

love that scene

 

[Master Zik]

Should've just got Harrison Ford and pulled the same Benjamin Button, Tony Stark, Michael Douglas as Hank Pym cgi to look 20 years younger. They just brought out young Leia in R1, why not again.

 

Yea...no thanks...

Cgi Ford > the guy they cast.

Facts but again I said no thanks to the entire idea of the movie.

 

[noblekane]

so now they see the guy wasnt no han solo? they must have been the only two people in the world who thought he was a good casting

 

[...So]

.

 

[Nike Jordan]

Also if the rumors are true about hiring an acting coach for Ehrenreich, then they should have went with Anthony Ingruber ( assuming he received an audition) ... At least he looks like Ford...


View media item 2477029

He played a younger Harrison in a film a few years ago too.

Lucasfilm goof'd.

 

[Nike Jordan]

 

[jaypesoz]

This'll be a nice helmet to add to the collection.

View media item 2477506

 

[noblekane]

Also if the rumors are true about hiring an acting coach for Ehrenreich, then they should have went with Anthony Ingruber ( assuming he received an audition) ... At least he looks like Ford...


View media item 2477029

dude someone should email ron howard this pic

 

[noblekane]

this look like han solo to you?

midas whale be an snl parody

View media item 2477602

 

[shogun]

Since we're talking about Han, I still dunno how him and Leia's genetics produced an ogre looking kid.

 

[...So]

.

 

[Fozz]

Moichendising!

 

[...So]

.