Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have provided one of their most complete retrospectives on the 2017 controversy surrounding their departure from the set of Solo: A Star Wars Story. The duo stated that they would not rule out returning to direct another Star Wars film if invited in the future, though there are currently no reports of any new project discussions.
The pair were originally hired to direct Solo: A Star Wars Story but left during production, with Ron Howard taking over the film. The main points of contention at the time involved improvisation, the film's tone, and the production schedule. Lord and Miller felt that the daily footage was helping them find a better direction for the final cut; screenwriters Lawrence Kasdan and Jonathan Kasdan, however, were concerned that the film was deviating from the established script, leading to delays. Then-Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy ultimately sided with the writers.
When asked if they would be willing to direct another Star Wars film if approached by Lucasfilm president Dave Filoni, their response was "never say never." They believe the franchise originally carried an independent film spirit, and that its inherent spirituality and sense of humor should not be forgotten.
Lord and Miller also denied ever wishing for Solo: A Star Wars Story to fail. They stated that the cast and crew remained the team they had helped assemble, and that they had encouraged the production to collaborate with Ron Howard to make a good film. The duo recalled that one of their most memorable scenes shot was L3-37's improvised final joke to comfort Lando before her demise in the original version.