Are the lawyers warming up?

If you follow this column you’ll be aware of the behind-the-scenes dramas that have plagued Solo: A Star Wars Story.

The standalone Han Solo movie has been the cause of a lot of hirings and firings, but this story involves the last two high-profile departures: Phil Lord and Chris Miller.

To recap: around 80% of the way through principal photography, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, who had been working on the movie for two years, were ousted. Days after their exit was announced, veteran director Ron Howard was named as their replacement, and just over a week ago, the film finished its shoot. Since they were given the boot over “creative differences”, there have been questions about how much of Lord and Miller’s footage would make it into the final cut. The answer is: not very much.

It appears Howard reshot nearly all of the story when he came aboard. A dedicated Star Wars news site reported: “The reshoots ended up covering nearly all of Han Solo. All of the film. And potentially up to twice the budget... we’re hearing that Ron Howard reshot potentially 80% or more of the movie.”

When Ron Howard was hired it was expected that the resulting film would reflect his sensibilities, but it’s a surprise to hear that’s happened at the expense of nearly all of the work that he wasn’t responsible for. It raises questions about how the pair will be credited – if at all – and that takes Disney/lucasfilm into tricky territory.

I wrote a column a few months ago that explained how Lord and Miller may be eligible to assemble their own Director’s Cut of the Han Solo movie thanks to a little-known loophole in the rules of the Director’s Guild. The regulation states that if a director is replaced after filming a certain percentage, then they have a right to cut their own version. Does that rule still stand if everything they shoot is binned? The film might be in the can, but I have a feeling the lawyers are just getting warmed up. Whatever happens, Solo: A Star Wars Story is scheduled to be in cinemas in May next year.