Chris Miller and Phil Lord No Longer Directing 'Han Solo' Movie; Ron Howard Has Replaced Them

Whether you were looking forward to the upcoming Han Solo movie Disney has in the works or not, Star Wars fan will be concerned to hear that the project has lost both of its directors. Many were excited to see young filmmakers Phil Lord and Chris Miller; best known for their work on hits such as 21 Jump Street and The LEGO Movie, give their take on the young iconic character. But whats even more concerning is how far the movie was into production, with only three weeks left of principal photography. As troubling as all this news may sound, the studio has thankfully found a replacement in proven Oscar winning director Ron Howard (Apollo 13).

The report of Lord and Miller's departure certainly came out of left field, and was announced by LucasFilm themselves on their website. Both the studios and director cited creative differences as the reason for this parting of ways, and Miller and Lord released the following: “Unfortunately, our vision and process weren’t aligned with our partners on this project. We normally aren’t fans of the phrase ‘creative differences’ but for once this cliché is true. We are really proud of the amazing and world-class work of our cast and crew,”

While it was originally believed that the duo stepped down from the project by choice, Variety has revealed they were actually fired by producer Kathleen Kennedy. There were apparently many issues on the set, and Lord and Miller were not getting the freedom they were used to on their past projects. The directors also reportedly butted heads with the cast and writer Lawrence Kasdan, and had several disagreements with the direction they were taking. Another deciding factor was apparently that the film was too much of a comedy; something the pair are none for specializing with, but LucasFilm wanted a more grounded Han Solo adventure.

Losing directors has become more and more common these days, with big studios such as Marvel, Warner Bros., and LucasFilm not allowing much freedom for most of their projects. Having said that, firing directors four months into production is much less common, and has led to some understandable concern from fans. Thankfully bringing on someone with the experience and polish of Ron Howard should help ease movie goers, as it seems the project will be in the right hands. Howard has took to Twitter to state the following about the whole situation: “I hope to honor the great work already done & help deliver on the promise of a Han Solo film.”

So are you worried Lord and Miller aren't directing Han Solo? Do you think Ron Howard was right choice to replace them? Let us know below!

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'Black Panther' Teaser Trailer Gives A Detailed Look At Klaue, Wakanda, Erik Killmonger, and More

Tom Holland's Spider-Man may have been the most memorable addition to the MCU we were introduced to in Civil War, but how could anyone forget Chadwick Boseman's portrayal of the King of Wakanda himself. Black Panther is a character fans such as myself have been dying to see on screen for years, both alongside The Avengers, and eventually in his own standalone movie. But the film had been discarded and postponed for so long, many of us figured it might never even happen. Well Marvel certainly made up for lost time but now only casting such a talented actor in the lead role, but also bring on board one of the best up and coming directors in the industry, and a cast that will make your jaw drop. Now we finally get our first taste of what to expect, thanks to an all new trailer.

Below is the first teaser trailer for Ryan Coogler's Black Panther:

And here's the official poster many fans have argued has been terribly photoshopped:

Click to enlarge

After seeing this trailer, its hard not to get insanely hyped for this movie being a Black Panther fan. Marvel managed to nab a very proven director with Ryan Coogler (Creed), and it shows just through the cinematography and costume designs seen in the trailer. You can tell how elaborate and thorough Coogler's design of Wakanda is, with the perfect mix of futuristic and African influences. The movie's costumes and settings also show us a lot of color which seems to be of great importance to Marvel lately (See Thor: Ragnarok and Guardians Vol. 2). Overall fans couldn't have asked for a better big screen adaption of the complex and advanced Wakanda we know from the comics. 

As for the characters, there's definitely a lot of faces both familiar and new throughout this trailer. We get a look at returning characters Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) and Klaue (Andy Serkis); who is a famous Black Panther villain. But it doesn't seem Klaue will be the main villain of the film, as we get several fight sequences involving Michael B. Jordan's Erik Killmonger. Surely Coogler brought on his favorite collaborator to play the film's title villain, especially one with as rich a history with T'Challa as Killmonger. We also get a look at Winston Duke's Man-Ape, but it still isn't clear how important of an antagonist he will be.

So what did you think of the Black Panther trailer? Do you think it could be one of Marvel's best solo movies yet? Let us know below!

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'Black Mirror' Actress Hannah John-Kamen Joins 'Ant-Man and The Wasp' In A Key Role

Its crazy to think that its already been two years since Ant-Man hit theaters, and managed to make audiences care about a character none of them knew. Between losing director Edgar Wright, and deciding not to make Hank Pym the title character of the film, there were many doubts surrounding the film before its release. Thankfully, it was a success with both audiences and critics, and led Marvel to squeeze in a 2018 sequel into their already clustered schedule. The movie will be bringing back its original cast and director, in hopes of recapturing the magic of the first. We haven't heard much about Ant-Man and The Wasp, but we now our first bit of casting news, and its apparently for a pretty major part.

Variety has revealed that actress Hannah John-Kamen has been cast in Ant-Man and The Wasp, but her role is still under wraps. Apparently several actresses have been testing for the role for months now, but John-Kamen was able to win over the folks at Marvel. The British actress has many credits to her name including appearances in Black Mirror and Game of Thrones, as well as a small part in The Force Awakens. But the Ant-Man sequel is just one of many major upcoming films on the actress' resume, including a lead role in Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One, and a part in the Tomb Raider reboot. 

Not much is known about the film's plot, but we do now that Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Michael Pena, and Evangeline Lily will all be returning to their respecting roles. Lilly's Hope van Dyne will finally get her chance to suit up as the new Wasp, and fight alongside Rudd's Scott Lang as the famous comic book duo. We also know that director Peyton Reed is returning, and the film will tackle Janet van Dyne's character and saving her from the Quantum Realm. Scott Lang was able to escape it in the first movie, so its likely Janet can also be saved somehow after all these years of being stuck there.

Its possible that John-Kamen could be playing the role of a young Janet van Dyne, who possibly hasn't aged from being in the Quantum Realm for so long. She could also be playing a villain in the film, which fits the major role description. The first film sort of invented its own villain mixing Darren Cross and Yellowjacket, so they might be doing the same with the antagonist for the sequel. There's even the possibility John-Kamen is playing the second female Yellowjacket from the comics, he was in fact a villain.

So are you familiar with Hannah John-Kamen? Who do you think she's playing? Let us know below!

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'New Mutants' Casts Blu Hunt, Charlie Heaton, and Henry Zaga As Mirage, Cannonball, and Sunspot

If you grew up the original X-Men movies, chances are you've always pictured the team as adults rather than young teens with powers. But the new generation of movie goers has grown up on a whole new set of teen actors as the X-Men, and its given spotlight to so much young talent in Hollywood. Now another X-Men related series will apparently be doing the same, as Josh Boone's  (The Fault in Our Stars) New Mutants has completed it main cast of heroes. You may recognize some faces from recently successful TV shows and movies, but these are sure to be the biggest roles most of these actors have ever experienced. 

The project has brought on two actors have recently had success on Netflix hit shows, Charlie Heaton (Stranger Things) and Henry Zaga (13 Reasons Why) as best friends Cannonball and Sunspot. Sunspot actually appeared in Days of Future Past, but has been recast for this film. Heaton has already made an impression on the big screen in Shut In, but was a standout in Stranger Things as Will Byer's older brother Jonathan. Zaga on the other hand has only had experience with TV roles, but surely impressed the studio with his role as Brad in 13 Reasons. 

As for the role of Mirage, Josh Boone saved the casting for last as its one of the most pivotal characters on the team. They were reportedly down to actresses Blu Hunt (The Originals) and True O'Brien (Queen Sugar), but the latter ended up winning the part. Hunt is part Native American like her character, and doesn't have too many credit to her name yet. Casting a relatively unknown as such a key character is certainly interesting, and will hopefully prove to be a smart move by Boone and co.

Fans who have been following the New Mutants production now by now that two roles were already cast, Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones) as Wolfsbane, and Anya Taylor-Joy (Split) as Magik. Both actresses are very proven, and we can expect them to carry a lot of the package as the film's leads. We also learned that James McAvoy's Charles Xavier will not be featured in the movie, which comes as a surprise as the New Mutants were the first graduates of his school in the comics. Director Josh Boone has also described the movie as horror, and as a cross between Stephen King and John Hughes' work.

So what do you think of the New Mutants cast? Are you interested in seeing an X-Men movie without any of the original members? Let us know below!

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