Whenever a big movie comes along, it’s almost inevitably accompanied by rumors of studio dissatisfaction and reshoots. Suicide Squad was rumored to have gotten reshoots to add more jokes, something the cast and director laughed off. So take this Rogue One news with a dose of salt, but it’s still a bit worrying.
Page Six, the team that broke the casting of Young Han Solo, is claiming that Disney executives are unhappy with Rogue One. It’s not clear exactly what’s worrying them, aside from the fact that The Force Awakens has set a high bar. It does note that reshoots were scheduled in advance, simply because the movie was so big it was necessary to plan for them, and that the problem mostly seems to be with the tone of the movie.
That’s not really a surprise. Rogue One is a fairly dark movie just in the plot summary, what with the likely orphaned heroine with rage issues and the fact that they’re stealing weapons plans many Bothans have died for. It sounds a bit like Disney executives aren’t sure how a movie that looks like an espionage thriller where a lot of the good guys are on the chopping block will do in the Star Wars universe, at least in terms of box office. It may also be a question of the overall tone of the franchise, considering the rumors about Episode VIII being a bit grim for Rey, Finn, and Poe.
We think they should have a little faith. Part of the appeal of Rogue One is that it’s trying something new for the franchise, and the tone doesn’t seem very far from The Empire Strikes Back, easily the most beloved movie in the entire franchise. If we’ll not only sit through the Empire routing our heroes at every turn, but love the movie, we’re sure there’s room for this. Besides, look at it this way: No matter how bad it is, it’ll automatically be the best Star Wars prequel.
(Via Page Six)