The Big Picture
- Late addition Tony Gilroy saved the Rogue One script by enhancing the theme of sacrifice.
- Rogue One stands out in Star Wars' franchise for focusing on the rebels and not the Jedi.
- Despite the challenges, Gilroy's contribution was crucial, but a team effort ultimately led to film's success.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Storyis unlike many Star Warsfilms. The prequel follows a new group of characters on a dangerous mission to save the galaxy with near-disastrous results. Though the desperate mission comes close to failure, the heroes pull through by sacrificing themselves as they send the Rebels the plans to the Death Star, setting into motion the events of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. But what isn't clear in the film is that, like the mission, the production had a close brush with disaster. Though the film met as positive a reception as any Star Wars content can expect and even got its own spinoff in the form of Andor, the process of making it was not smooth.
Tony Gilroy, who went on to create Andor, was a late addition to the project, brought on when the production ran into problems with the script. The screenwriter reworked the story to save the film, changing it enough to earn a screenwriting credit. Gilroy's contribution is notable as it made the film what it is today, but he did not take over Rogue One, which remains director Gareth Edwards' film. Though we may never know exactly what the film would have been like without Gilroy, whatever he did worked. The production may have been struggling, but like the team's mission, they pulled through to create a beautiful film. Rogue One is both a hopeful and heartbreaking addition to the franchise and one of the early ventures outside of Skywalker Saga that inspired more like it.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
PG-13In a time of conflict, a group of unlikely heroes band together on a mission to steal the plans to the Death Star, the Empire's ultimate weapon of destruction.
- Release Date
- December 16, 2016
- Director
- Gareth Edwards
- Cast
- Felicity Jones , Diego Luna , Alan Tudyk , Donnie Yen , Wen Jiang , Ben Mendelsohn , Guy Henry , Forest Whitaker
- Runtime
- 133 minutes
- Main Genre
- Sci-Fi
- Writers
- Chris Weitz , Tony Gilroy , John Knoll , Gary Whitta , George Lucas
How Did Tony Gilroy Fix 'Rogue One'?
Tony Gilroy was a notable name long before he was involved with Star Wars.The Oscar-nominated writer started working on the project in June 2016, just seven months before the release and instigated major changes to the story. Gilroy said, "I came in after the director's cut. I have a screenplay credit in the arbitration that was easily won." The credit is not guaranteed for writers who come in late, as only those with significant enough contributions get the title of "writer" for a given film. For Gilroy to come into the story late and leave with the credit, he had to have made considerable changes to the script. On The Moment With Brian Koppelman podcast, Gilroy explained, "If you look at Rogue, all the difficulty with Rogue, all the confusion of it … and all the mess, and in the end when you get in there, it's actually very, very simple to solve."
Taking a look at the story, Gilroy identified the thing that needed to be the center of the film: sacrifice. The film features Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), and many other characters who lay down their lives to further the Rebellion, making sacrifice a fitting theme for the story. After Gilroy's contribution, Rogue One explores why the characters are willing to fight for the Rebellion, ultimately showing their reasoning for giving up their lives for their goal. Sacrifice is an integral part of the film and part of what makes Rogue One different from the rest of the franchise. Though distinct, the first anthology film still needed to have an aspect of familiarity for fans, and the theme helped to highlight that. Sacrifice is important throughout Star Wars, with Darth Vader's (James Earl Jones/David Prowse) death being a prime example, but Rogue One takes a more in-depth look at it, seemingly because of Gilroy.
1:22Ben Mendelsohn Plays Coy About Reprising His Role in 'Andor'
'The New Look' star first played Orson Krennic in 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.'Tony Gilroy Helped Make 'Rogue One' Unique
Rogue One is distinct from the rest of the franchise for several reasons. For one thing, it was the first film not to focus on the Skywalkers or any Jedi. Before Rogue One, only the animated Star Wars: The Clone Warsfilm was not part of the Skywalker Saga, and even so, it followed Anakin Skywalker (Matt Lanter). At that time, Star Wars TV was rare, with no live-action series and The Mandalorian still three years away. Just Rogue One's focus on Rebels and not Jedi made it different, but Gilory's contributions helped set the film apart. Andor alsodemonstrates this,since the series takes a non-traditional approach to the franchise.
Gilroy came in with a different point of view, not only as an outsider to the production who could better pinpoint the issues but as an outsider to the franchise. When asked if working on a Star Wars film made him nervous, Gilroy confirmed that it wasn't an issue for him, saying, "I don't like Star Wars—not that I don't like it, but I've never been interested in Star Wars ever, so I had no reverence for it whatsoever, I was unafraid about that and they were in such a swamp… they were in so much, terrible, terrible trouble that all you could do was improve their position." Gilroy reworked the script without feeling tied to the traditional Star Wars feel, perhaps explaining why the film is so different than other films in the franchise. Rogue One is more reminiscent of a war film than the traditional Star Wars, helping to distinguish it from the rest of the franchise, which is in part due to Gilroy.
'Rogue One's Success Is Not Soley Due to Tony Gilroy
Tony Gilroy's contribution to Rogue One is undeniable, but some reports claim that he took over the reshoots, which Director Gareth Edwards insists is not true. When Edwards discusses Rogue One, he does not discount Gilroy's work, saying, "Tony [Gilroy] came in, and he did a lot of great work, for sure. No doubt about it." But he insists that it was a team effort. Rather than being sidelined in the latter part of the production, Edwards was present for the major reshoots, even mentioning his involvement in the Vader corridor scene, which was the last thing filmed.
Edwards points out the incarnate rumors about Rogue One's production but still expresses gratitude for the experience. Whatever teamwork was required, the venture paid off. Rogue One was received well enough to get a spinoff series in Andor, which has gained even more popularity. Like the film's characters, the creatives behind Rogue One accomplished their goal despite all the complications they faced, and fortunately, it did not require the same level of sacrifice.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is streaming in Dinsey+ in the U.S.
