Is Rogue One in trouble? Not according to the people spending millions of dollars to make it! After rumors about reshoots giving the film a lighter vibe went around earlier this month, raising skepticism about whether the Star Wars franchise was giving filmmakers as much control as it claimed, the people behind the spinoff have taken to Entertainment Weekly to do some damage control. While they admit they the film did undergo reshoots — a common practice on big-budget blockbusters these days — they swear the film has not lost the darker tone fans were promised.
“[W]e’re very deliberately leaning into the various styles of directors that we’re approaching so that each of these movies will very intentionally have a very different tone and style from the saga films,†Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy tells the mag. “[Director Gareth Edwards] has shown a stylistic preference that’s much more hand-held, visceral, inside-the-action kind of feel … That’s not something you’ve necessarily seen in a Star Wars movie before.â€
Edwards agrees: “I’d definitely describe it as: It’s got dark tone. The studio has been very supportive of that … it’s not in any way been compromised.†So there you have it: Everyone is fine, nothing has changed, and the Star Wars cinematic universe is still a safe space to put your talented young directors. Also, we don’t need to see identification, these aren’t the droids we’re looking for, and you can go along with your business. Move along.