Perhaps JJ Abrams set the bar a little too high when Star Wars: A Force Awakens was released in December: now the cast and crew of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story are said to be re-shooting parts of the spin-off film in July because the movie is not good enough.
New York showbiz website Page Six reports that Rogue One is “in crisis”, with executives at Disney unsatisfied with the first cut by British director Gareth Edwards.
Edwards, who has won cult acclaim for his direction of indie hit Monsters, has traditionally kept his distance from studios when making films, even on 2014 blockbuster Godzilla. However, Page Six report that on Rogue One, “Disney won’t take a back seat, and is demanding changes, as the movie isn’t testing well.”
The cast and crew will embark upon four weeks of re-shoots in July.
A source from Disney told Page Six: “The filmmaking team and the studio always anticipated additional shooting and second unit work to make the film the absolute best it can be, and the actors were aware there would be additional shooting.
“Coming off The Force Awakens, there’s an incredibly high bar for this movie and we have a responsibility to the franchise and to the fans to deliver the best possible movie we can.”
Rogue One is thought to fill in the gap between Episodes III and IV, and will see resistance fighters attempt to steal plans for the Death Star before the Emperor can use it to enforce his cruel regime.
The film’s cast list boasts Oscar-winner Felicity Jones, Forest Whitaker, Mads Mikkelsen, Diego Luna and Ben Mendelsohn. It has been speculated that Rogue One will also feature Darth Vader and a young Han Solo – who will be played by Alden Ehrenreich in Disney’s second Star Wars spin-off film – in a cameo role.
A representative for Disney said that they “don’t usually comment on any production rumours relating to Star Wars.”
Source: Telegraph
