It’s starting to sound like Star Wars: Rogue One is in serious trouble. Despite a report from Entertainment Weekly over the weekend that downplayed rumors of production trouble, gossip on Disney’s latest Star Wars installment continues to linger.
It was previously reported that Bourne franchise writer/director Tony Gilroy was brought onto the team to help supervise the “extensive” reshoots, but now The Playlist – a typically reliable source – has revealed that "Gilroy is actually supervising, if not helming, the reshoots himself." That’s massive (and worrying) news if true, as it indicates Disney is no longer confident in the prowess of Rogue One’s current director, Gareth Edwards. Whether these reshoots are minor visual changes or major story adjustments remain to be seen, but most sources seem to believe it’s the latter.
On top of the potential overhaul in directorial talent, new reports suggest that Rogue One’s reshoots will be substantial – substantial as in 50 percent of the entire movie, according to the Latino-Review. If Disney really is “reshooting almost half of the movie" then Edwards truly must have lost the plot, both literally and figuratively.
With just about six months to go until the scheduled release date of Star Wars: Rogue One, the latest speculation is a very troubling sign. Not only will it cost the studio millions of dollars while potentially dissuading moviegoers from purchasing tickets, but it could push back the premiere of Rogue One by a lengthy amount of time. Star Wars fans won’t be happy about that, especially since the follow-up to The Force Awakens, Episode 8, has already been delayed until December 2017.
After a promising trailer, it might be difficult to understand why Rogue One is suddenly in a state of crisis. The consensus seems to be that Gareth Edwards, who went on the record saying that Saving Private Ryan was a direct influence on Rogue One, created a war film that was too dark and gritty for Disney’s family-friendly taste.
Of course, in the world of Hollywood blockbusters, reshoots are a common occurance, so there’s no reason to panic until we get some confirmation from the Mouse House. Hopefully execs loop in the fans sooner rather than later.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is set to arrive in theaters (for now) Dec. 16.
