Summary
- Gareth Edwards dismisses rumors of losing control of Rogue One, calling them “total inaccuracy.” He emphasizes the misinformation circulating about the film’s production.
- Edwards personally directed the memorable Darth Vader corridor scene, contradicting rumors. He acknowledges Tony Gilroy’s contributions but states they worked together until the very last moments of production.
- Edwards is open to returning to the Star Wars franchise but only if he has creative freedom. He wants to infuse his unique vision into future projects and escape the factory-like nature of franchise filmmaking.
Gareth Edwards, after a seven-year break from the director’s chair, made his return with The Creator, his latest film following the success of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Speculation had circulated that significant reshoots, led by Tony Gilroy, had taken place during the production of Rogue One, and some even claimed that Edwards had lost control of the film. However, during an episode of KCRW’s “The Business” podcast, Edwards addressed these rumors, dismissing them as “total inaccuracy.” He emphasized that there is a considerable amount of misinformation circulating on the internet regarding the film’s production.
He also acknowledged Gilroy’s valuable contributions to Rogue One but stressed that their collaborative efforts continued until the very last moments. Contrary to the rumors, he personally directed the memorable Darth Vader corridor scene, which was filmed as part of the pickup shoot and marked the film’s final production phase.
“The stuff that’s out there on the internet about what happened on that film – there is so much inaccuracy about the whole thing. Tony [Gilroy] came in, and he did a lot of great work, for sure. No doubt about it. But we all worked together until the entire last minute of that movie. The very last thing that we filmed in the pickup shoot was the Darth Vader corridor scene. I did all of that stuff.”
Is Director Gareth Edwards Considering a Return to Star Wars?
Star Wars creator George Lucas personally reached out to director Gareth Edwards to convey his admiration for Rogue One. The film is set between the events of Episode III and Episode IV and follows a group of rebel fighters who embark on a high-stakes mission to steal the plans for the Death Star. This installment has garnered critical acclaim and is widely regarded as one of the best entries in the franchise.
Edwards has kept the door open to the possibility of returning to the franchise. However, in an interview with ComicBook.com, he emphasized that if he were to tackle such projects in the future, he would be insistent on having creative freedom and the opportunity to infuse his unique vision into the franchise.
“I like franchises, obviously, or else I wouldn’t have done two of them. So there are things that I would still love to do in that arena,” Edwards explained. “If I got to do them, I only want to do them if I can use this methodology and bring this stamp to it. Because you go into a certain factory, it’s going to turn out all the other things in the factory. So, it’s like trying to escape the factory and just do it this way. If someone was willing to go, ‘Okay, here’s the IP. Here’s the franchise, but go off and do it how you do things.’ That would be probably one of the best-case scenarios, I reckon.”
While it remains unclear if Edwards will revisit the franchise, his latest film, The Creator, is currently playing in theaters.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
