Phil Lord and Chris Miller will ‘Subvert’ Han Solo Movie

Phil Lord and Chris Miller will make the standalone Han Solo movie “subversive”. The directing duo, both 41, are known for making productions that subvert expectations – such as 21 Jump Street and The LEGO Movie – and it has now been revealed they plan to do the same thing with the as-yet-untitled Star Wars spin-off movie.

Cinematographer Bradford Young said of the pair: “These cats are subversive, don’t let it fool you. They are prepared to say exactly what they wanna say and it’s complex, it’s layered, it’s smart, it’s visual, it’s dramatic, it’s funny, it’s uneasy, it’s unexpected. These cats are – I’m honored to have them in the list of directors I’ve worked with, that’s for sure.”

And Bradford, 39, also praised the duo’s vision when it comes to directing projects, branding their collaboration as partners as “unique”, and saying they shouldn’t be put into “a box”.

He added to Collider.com: “It’s funny, here’s the thing about Phil Lord and Chris Miller: don’t let their track record fool you. Don’t put those guys in a box because they have a vision, they know exactly what they want. They have no hidden agenda, but they do have an agenda; they have a way of seeing that’s very special, and their collaboration is genuinely unique. So I have to say I had to get converted into that. I respect their work, I respect them as filmmakers, but I wasn’t quite sure if there would be a good marriage between what I’m trying to pursue and the work that I’m doing and what they’re doing, but they helped make that real clear to me early on by expressing some real interesting story [and] photographic ideas that really resonated with me.”

Despite creating a movie that expands on a pre-existing character, Bradford is impressed with how little Lucasfilm have interfered with the ideas process.

He said: “We’re doing our own thing, that’s why we’re there. Phil and Chris are there to bring what they bring to their films, their very unique vision, their perspective on story and they asked me to come bring what I bring, and so just for that it won’t feel like any of the other films. And nobody at Lucasfilm is asking us to betray that, they’re saying ‘We’re in full support of what you do and we wanna make sure that we’re able to help you do it in the best way.’ It’s gonna feel like a Star Wars film, but we’re definitely gonna break some rules, and we’re encouraged to do that.”