With Gareth Edwards on the promotional circuit for his new sci-fi epic The Creator, folks have been asking him repeatedly about the reported behind-the-scenes drama on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. While he previously said he has no regrets concerning his time with Lucasfilm, in a new interview, he denies that he was ever not working on the film. The popular myth is that Edwards was replaced by Tony Gilroy, the movie’s co-writer as director (with Gilroy having already directed Michael Clayton and The Bourne Legacy). He insists that’s not the case. Speaking with KCRW’s The Business (excepted by THR), he says all the gossip surrounding the film is inaccurate. “Tony came in, and he did a lot of great work, for sure. No doubt about it. But we all worked together until the last minute of that movie.”
Backing up his claim, GIlory notes that the last sequence they shot was the Darth Vader corridor scene and that he was behind the camera the whole time. While Gilroy’s involvement in the Star Wars universe has been celebrated, with Andor the most critically acclaimed Star Wars series, Edwards’ contribution to Rogue One, which in many people’s opinion ranks as the best Star Wars movie outside the original trilogy, should not be underrated. Another thing that backs up Edwards’s claim that he wasn’t replaced is that The Creator is financed by Disney, as was Rogue One. It’s doubtful they would have poured a rumoured $80 million into a sci-fi epic from Edwards had he not impressed them with Rogue One.
While The Creator’s initial box office takings have fallen short, hopefully, word of mouth and foreign sales will help this movie turn a significant profit, as we need more lavish, original sci-fi like it.
Did you see The Creator this weekend? Let us know what you thought in the comments!