Back in May, a report surfaced that LucasFilm’s firstStar Warsspin-off,Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, was set to undergoextensive reshoots, reportedly because Disney “panicked” after test screenings weren’t favorable. It was later clarified several times that the reshoots were happening, withTony Gilroycoming aboard to work on the script. StarRiz Ahmedcalled the additional photography “par for the course,” since they are common on practically every big budget movie these days. Today we have a new report whereFelicity JonesandKathleen Kennedyreassure the fans that reshoots shouldn’t be a cause for concern.
The Hollywood Reporterreleased an extensive profile onFelicity Jones, who stars in the upcoming Robert Langdon adventureInfernoalongsideTom Hankslater this month, where the star spoke about these reshoots. Earlier reports revealed that reshoots took place over a five-week period in June and July, although little is known about what was shot. WhileFelicity Joneswouldn’t shed light on the story, she explained why the reshoots happened in the first place.
“Obviously when you come to the edit, you see the film come together and you think, ‘Actually, we could do this better, and this would make more sense if we did this.’ I’ve done it so many times. I mean, you wouldn’t just give yourfirst drafton this story, would you?”
It wasn’t too long ago that any form of reshoots was a big hint that a given movie is in trouble, with the studio ordering filmmakers to fix problem areas before the release. Now, though, reshoots have become commonplace on any big budget movie, withKathleen Kennedyrevealing that, like many other movies,Rogue Oneactually built reshoots into the shooting schedule. Here’s what she had to say below.
“I’m sure if you picked up the phone and called every single large, technical movie and said, ‘You ever gone in and done reshoots?’ They’d all say, ‘Oh God, yes.’ So why has it turned into a big story? Because it’sStar Wars, and they put a spotlight and scrutinize every single thing that gets done. But it was always planned and nothing unusual.”
Felicity Jonesplays Jyn Erso, who leads a team of Rebels on a daring mission to steal the plans for the first Death Star inRogue One, which is set betweenRevenge of the SithandA New Hope. The actress beat out a number of other high-profile actresses for the role, such asRooney MaraandOrphan BlackstarTatiana Maslany, withKathleen Kennedyrevealing that she first had the idea to castFelicity Jones, whose work she had admired sinceLike Crazy. Here’s whatKathleen Kennedyhad to say about castingFelicity Jones, adding that Disney chairmanAlan Hornhad the final say in the matter.
“Alan was incredibly excited by Felicity’s work and loved her as an actress. She’s relatively petite, but you would never know it. I mean, she comes off very strong and physical and capable, and all of those things were the qualities that we were looking for.”
Rogue One: A Star Wars Storyalso starsMads Mikkelsen,Ben Mendelsohn,Alan Tudyk,Diego Luna,Forest Whitaker,Donnie Yen,Riz Ahmed,Jonathan ArisandWen Jiang.Gareth EdwardsdirectsRogue Onefrom a script byGary WhittaandChris Weitz, with this spin-off hitting theaters December 16. That will be followed byStar Wars: Episode VIIIon July 29, 2025,Star Wars: Han Solo Storyon June 09, 2025,Star Wars: Episode IXsometime in 2019 and a thirdStar Warsspin-off, reportedly centering on Boba Fett, arriving in 2020.
