Lucasfilm unsatisfied with Alden Ehrenreich’s performance as Han Solo

Last week came the shocking news that directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller had been fired from the Han Solo Star Wars movie, replaced by the experienced Ron Howard. And now new reports reveal that LucasFilm is also unhappy with the performance of leading star, Alden Ehrenreich.

Ehrenreich impressed in Hail Caesar! but seems to have struggled with young Han Solo.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the studio decided to hire an acting coach for Ehrenreich far into the film’s production because they were “not entirely satisfied with the performance that the directors were eliciting from him”.

It’s thought that Lord and Miller’s improvisational approach also played a part in this, as sources close to the directors told Entertainment Weekly they were “shifting the story off-course” and “began steering the Han Solo movie more into the genre of laughs than space fantasy”. They appeared in the film’s first set photo back in February:

Han Solo – Smuggler. Scoundrel. Hero. A new Star Wars Story begins. https://t.co/6mjWKQcwwk pic.twitter.com/dWJwccpY33

— Star Wars (@starwars) February 21, 2017

Academy Award-winning filmmaker Ron Howard will assume directorial duties on the untitled Han Solo film. https://t.co/Ki04TAoKEe pic.twitter.com/7LvRyTUt6t

— Star Wars (@starwars) June 22, 2017

It’s not all bad for Lord and Miller though as it seems likely that they’lll receive a credit for the film and that some of their work will appear in the final edit, as THR states that they shot some “very usable” material that Howard could use.

Howard reportedly arrives in London today to take over directing duties. It’s set for release on May 25, 2018.