Well, toldja. With the news breaking that “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” is set to undergo extensive reshoots this summer, yesterday I speculated if Disney was concerned about the grittier vibe of the movie, and were looking to lighten to mood. We’ve seen audiences this year give a thumbs up to the quippy “Deadpool,” a thumbs down to the dark and dour “Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice,” and rousing approval to “Captain America: Civil War” which danced with both tones easily. And it would appear that my theory is pretty close.
THR writer Borys Kit reveals that Gareth Edwards delivered a “pretty serious” first cut of ‘Rogue One,’ that was in the vein of a war movie. Frankly, that sounds kinda awesome, but studio suits are reportedly using the reshoots to add more fun, and the classic “Star Wars” feel that everyone knows and loves.
“This is the closest thing to a prequel ever,” a source told the trade. “This takes place just before ‘A New Hope’ and leads up to the 10 minutes before that classic film begins. You have to match the tone!”
Here’s the thing though. ‘A New Hope’ begins with the galaxy in the midst of a civil war, Princess Leia on the run, and captured by Darth Vader. You would think that the events leading up to that aren’t going to be so sunny. And looking at things more broadly, the spinoffs were always seen as a chance for Disney and the creative teams to push the envelope in the way that they can’t with the mainline saga. But if every “Star Wars” movie, spinoff or not, is going to adhere to the same tone, it squashes the opportunity to take the vast universe these stories and characters exist in, and take them to new places.
But none of that really matters, because what Disney wants is four-quadrant appeal, with the $2 billion haul of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” setting the mark for every film to follow. It’s a bit disheartening that commerce trumps creativity, but it’s not a surprise in this current tentpole era where the only gamble worth taking is the one with the huge payoff. And it’s also why the current rumor being floated is that Alden Ehrenreich‘s Han Solo may be added to the movie in reshoots, which, if it turns out to be true, is a pretty cynical and disappointing move toward fan service.
The reshoots will get underway this month and will last a few weeks, so we’ll see what else crops up as cameras get set to roll again. And it should be noted, while the initial report regarding the reshoots said ‘Rogue One’ had undergone test screenings, Deadline says the movie has only been seen by Disney producers and executives, which makes a lot more sense.
