The Han Solo movie has undergone a fair shake-up, to put it mildly. Phil Lord and Chris Miller departed, to be replaced by Ron Howard; the movie has allegedly been completely reshot; Michael K. Williams has left the production. Thandie Newton, though, is still in there though. Most of her work has been in the can for a while – but what does that mean for her character?
Speaking to EW about the movie’s tumultuous time, Newton suggests talk of the movie being all Ron Howard is a bit premature, “Ninety percent of my stuff is with [ex-directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller]. And it certainly wasn’t about, ‘Oh we have to start again and do it all over.'”
Lord and Miller’s sacking, admittedly, did some as a “surprise” to Newton, but she reveals that the movie is going to be the best of both worlds: “I love Phil and Chris — everybody loves Phil and Chris — they’re so brilliant. Ron and the guys were talking to each other. As far as I’m concerned what’s on screen, in the end, is going to be an amazing collaboration.
But what does that mean for the movie and, specifically, Newton’s character? If we’re taking those words at face value – and there’s no reason why we shouldn’t – then the ballpark of 90% would indicate that Newton has either not filmed with the majority of the cast, or she was in a specific interior set. Say, something like a fighter pilot’s cockpit? Howard certainly wouldn’t need to tweak with scenes filmed early on in a bespoke set with just the one actor.
Elsewhere, hearing of the dialogue between Ron Howard and the two fired directors opens up a whole set of questions: How coherent will the movie be? What has (and hasn’t) made the final cut? Why was Ron Howard asked to come in and overhaul the movie?
If nothing else, there’s going to be a great documentary made about the making of the Han Solo movie one day.
