"Han Solo" shoots first, but shooting will be hard without a director. On Tuesday, the directors of the spinoff, Christopher Miller, and Phil Lord walked away from the project. Despite the fact that the movie has been filming for several months, there is now no director to usher the project to a May 2018 release date. There are plenty of people who would happily take up the mantle, though. Here are four candidates Lucasfilm should pursue to direct in the coming days.
4. George Lucas
Alright, this is the biggest long shot in cinematic history. There is no way Lucas is coming out of his semi-retirement to direct another "Star Wars" film, regardless of how amazing any offer Lucasfilm presents.
The man who first brought Han Solo to the screen and public conscious has been largely out of the picture since the revival of the franchise in 2015. His presence would certainly retrieve people into their movie seats, though.
3. Lawrence Kasdan
The name may not ring a bell, but Kasdan's connection to "Star Wars" is strong. He was part of the writing team for "The Empire Strikes Back," "Return of the Jedi," and "The Force Awakens." He was also part of the writing team "Han Solo," so he's intimately familiar with the material and the shoots so far. Kasdan has directed films before, but none as big as "Han Solo" promises to be.
2. Edgar Wright
Wright has been a popular name bandied about by "Star Wars" fans for several films.
He is best known for directing the "Three Flavours Cornetto" trilogy, which is immensely popular. Perhaps his best directing work was "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World," though. He has limited experience in the world of space operas, but his infusion of humor and vitality would be a big boost for "Han Solo."
1. J.J. Abrams
Obviously, Abrams has to be attached to this project in some capacity.
He's the man responsible for bringing the "Star Wars" and "Star Trek" franchises back to the silver screen. He has plenty of production credits in the works, but has not directed anything since "The Force Awakens."
What better way to enter the directing game once again than by taking charge of "Han Solo" before it potentially falls to pieces?
He may not be the director everyone wants for this challenge, but he's the director the film deserves at this point. Let's cut out the nonsense and bring him back to his rightful throne so shooting can continue and the release can come as it is currently scheduled.
