It’s accepted Hollywood canon at this point that Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was almost entirely reconstructed in the editing bay and with a ton of reshoots, with Disney bringing in writer Tony Gilroy to punch-up director Gareth Edwards’ film into the version we know (and love!) today. There’s proof of this all over the place, whether it’s footage in the trailers that doesn’t appear in the final film, behind-the-scenes shots that imply a different fate for certain characters, or the fact that it was Gilroy who was brought in to make Disney+’s excellent Andor prequel series. But whatever happened, Edwards has no interest in sharing any details. He’s been a good soldier this whole time (a fact lampshaded by his little cameo as a soldier in Star Wars: The Last Jedi), and even now, years later, Edwards refuses to say anything negative about working with Disney.
In an appearance on KCRW’s The Business (via The Hollywood Reporter), Edwards said there has been “so much inaccuracy” online about the making of Rogue One, insisting that there was no on-set drama and that, while Gilroy came in and “did a lot of great work,” everyone on the film “worked together until the last minute of that movie.” He said the memorable sequence with Darth Vader in the hallway was the last thing they filmed in the reshoots, and, he noted, “I did all of that stuff.”
Edwards also pointed out that, no matter what happened, he got to make a Star Wars movie and that’s good enough for him. “Someone who gets that opportunity to make a Star Wars film and then starts complaining about it,” he argued, “I don’t think many people have that much empathy for that kind of person. I so don’t want to be them.” He said he’s proud of Rogue One and that it was “a dream come true.” He also, curiously, compared it to a “‘What goes into Fight Club stays in Fight Club’ kind of thing,” which is not quite accurate, but the point is that he wants to “sound grateful for what happened and not talk negatively about anything.”
It seems like he’s very aware that they ended up with a good movie, however it happened, and by having a positive attitude about it he gets to reap the benefits of having his name on it. Related: Edwards’ The Creator, distributed by the Disney-owned 20th Century Studios, is in theaters now.