Phil Lord and Chris Miller being tapped to direct Solo: A Star Wars Story for Lucasfilm was news welcomed by fans, especially after their standout work on 21 Jump Street and The LEGO Movie.
Unfortunately, their love of improv didn't sit well with Kathleen Kennedy and, after issues with Gareth Edwards on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, she chose to dismiss Lord and Miller and Willow helmer Ron Howard was enlisted to finish the movie.
Talking to Rolling Stone (via SFFGazette.com), the filmmakers reflected on what they learned from their time working in a Galaxy Far, Far Away.
"So much of that experience was positive," Lord admits. "We worked with so many great crew people and the Creature Shop, and these amazing craftspeople in London, and a great cast. So like, they can’t take the experience that you gain, that many days of shooting. That stays with you. And so that made us better filmmakers."
Miller added, "And then gave us a drive to make things that felt new and original and fresh and interesting, and have something cool to say and bring things into the world that are unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. And that’s been a driving force before, and even more so after."
Perhaps taking a shot at the way Kennedy oversees the directors she hires for these movies, Lord went on to say, "Yeah, it’s important to remember that Star Wars was an independent film. And it’s important, for us, anyway, to remain independent voices even while making these big franchises for big studios."
Another project the duo thought about making before it failed to materialise was a crossover between the Jump Street and Men in Black franchises.
Sony ultimately chose to head in a different direction with Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson starring in a poorly received reboot of the latter, while 23 Jump Street never materialized. Asked why the planned mashup didn't become a reality, Miller suggested that bringing the two franchises together might have been too big an ask for those in charge.
"It was a cool idea. I think most likely that opportunity has passed, but it was very fun. It was crazy. It was a crazy thing to try. One of those things where, if it works, it’s incredible. And if it doesn’t, you can take down two franchises. And so you know, the pressure was very high. And so it was a missed opportunity."
It's a real shame we never got to see the crossover become a reality, but the moment has now passed. Instead, the duo appear to be busy expanding Sony's Spider-Verse both in live-action and animation, including live-action projects revolving around Spider-Man Noir and Silk.