Rogue One: More Info on the Reshoots We Didn’t Know We Needed

The infamous reshoots for Rogue One helped create a compelling film that is making Lucasfilm a ton of money. But what really happened behind the scenes?

Around summertime, we learned that Rogue One was heading into reshoots that would account for nearly 40 percent of the film, if not more. While we worried and speculated, Lucasfilm moved forward steadily with Tony Gilroy.

Regardless of where Rogue One started, its final result was spectacular.

Without even going into spoiler territory, let’s just say the adjusted ending of the film made for one of the best Star Wars films in the franchise. Such additions made Rogue One a much heavier movie than fans are used to seeing.

From Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016 trailer). Image via Lucasfilm/Disney.

Between the trailers and the theatrical cut of the film, it’s clear that many things were left out. For example, the image above isn’t included in the final cut. Obviously, Rogue One’s story started a little differently. Along the way, things changed, and we ended up with the Rogue One now playing in theaters, sans crawl, and a couple of questions. For example, where does the original story start and where do the reshoots end?

Thanks to a new interview from Rogue One‘s editors, we now have a little bit more insight:

"[The reshoots] gave you the film that you see today. I think they were incredibly helpful. The story was reconceptualised to some degree, there were scenes that were added at the beginning and fleshed out. We wanted to make more of the other characters, like Cassian’s character [Cassian Andor, the Rebel spy played by Diego Luna], and Bodhi’s character [Bodhi Rook, the defected Imperial pilot played by Riz Ahmed].The scene with Cassian’s introduction with the spy, Bodhi traipsing through Jedha on his way to see Saw, these are things that were added. Also Jyn [Jyn Erso, the reluctant leader of the film, played by Felicity Jones], how we set her up and her escape from the transporter, that was all done to set up the story better."

In short, the reshoots gave the character’s more depth. This depth changed the course of the entire film. Instead of “rebel spies,” the characters became Rogue One, the team that saved the Alliance. Without Rogue One, Luke, Leia and Han would have nothing to build their legacies upon.

Sure, we were all nervous going into this film. But Rogue One and its reshoots deserve to be commended. Especially when you read about how lovingly crafted this film was.

Related Story: Is the Han Solo Movie Getting Pushed Back to December 2018?

Rogue One is now playing in theaters everywhere.