With The Creator now playing in theaters, filmmaker Gareth Edwards is likely hoping to move on from the constant speculation surrounding Rogue One: A Star Wars Story's troubled production. The 2016 movie underwent significant reshoots with Tony Gilroy reportedly brought in to get the movie where it needed to be.
All this time, it's been unclear whether Rogue One was taken from Edwards and put into The Bourne Legacy director's hands or if he remained involved and simply needed some help getting Lucasfilm's first Star Wars spin-off where it needed to be.
Talking to KCRW's The Business, Edwards talked candidly about what took place on set (a contrast from recent interviews which has seen the filmmaker largely dance around the question by expressing his love for Star Wars).
"The stuff that is out there on the internet about what happened on that film - there is so much inaccuracy about the whole thing," Edwards says. "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."
"The very last thing that we filmed in the pickup shoot was the Darth Vader corridor scene," he adds. "I did all of that stuff."
That last part lines up with what writer Gary Whitta has said and it's clear now that there's been much ado about nothing. For what it's worth, Edwards concluded this part of the conversation by once again making it clear Rogue One did nothing to dampen his love for the franchise.
"Someone who gets that opportunity to make a Star Wars film and then starts complaining about it, I don’t think many people have that much empathy for that kind of person. I so don’t want to be them. It was a dream come true. I’m proud of the movie we all made. What goes into Fight Club stays in Fight Club kind of thing. It’s like that. I just want to sound grateful for what happened and not talk negatively about anything."
In 2018, Gilroy reflected on his role in getting Rogue One to the finish line, admitting he had zero interest in Star Wars but saying the production was "in so much terrible, terrible trouble that all you could do was improve their position."
Ironically, he's since taken charge of Andor for Lucasfilm, a series which has been hailed as perhaps the best Star Wars story told in the Disney era. As for Rogue One, the movie was a critical and commercial hit, whereas The Creator has sadly dipped to 68% on Rotten Tomatoes after a disappointing weekend at the box office.