Just caught Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse and Bumblebee this past weekend and both movies were really good. Definitely recommended.
Noticed during the end credits for Spider-verse the Story by credit goes to Phil Lord (who also co-wrote the screenplay). Significant because a Story by credit means you're the person who came up with the idea for the story (not meaning to state the obvious, btw, just in case folks weren't aware how it worked with the "Story" credit), how the plot should play out and all of that. He also co-produced the film with his usual directing partner Chris Miller. I thought the idea for the story in this movie was fantastic. Really creative and clever.
I point this out - as a Star Wars fan - because in my opinion the pair, Lord and Miller, have yet to attach their names to a bad movie (the Jump Street movies, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, The Lego Movie) and they were the direction duo that Disney fired when they'd completed filming roughly 80% of the standalone Han Solo movie.
Apparently, one of the writers on the film, Lawrence Kasdan (no spring chicken, by the way) didn't understand their 'process' and what they were intending for the film and the head of Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy agreed.
Reading about Lord and Miller's creative process, I think they have a different method than a lot of filmmakers and people who've been in that business a long time don't understand it and Disney's conservative nature and wanting to play it safe was their un-doing. It's too bad, because I'm pretty convinced after seeing Spider-verse and knowing Lord and Miller's previous works that their version of Solo would have been a true saving grace for the Star Wars franchise that currently has the fandom divided. Kathleen Kennedy and the rest should've been welcoming that kind of innovation with open arms, instead, they retreated for the perception of safety and continue to have a divided fanbase as a result.
All of that to say, I think Disney made a big mistake letting those two go, and - I think - this latest Spider-man movie drives that point home. Marvel does have some attachment to Sony's Spider-verse so hopefully Disney can reconnect with the duo that way. Good luck though convincing them to come back to work on a Star Wars film, though I guess, money talks. It's a shame because Lord and Miller seem to be among the very few people in Hollywood these days who are actually creative and know how to tell a great story. Can't wait to see what they work on next.