A Star Wars Story?

For admirers of the great era of Star Wars, with its analog retro-futuristic technology, cod-Japanese mysticism, and swishy laser swords, The most recent outstanding film with a historical setting in a galaxy far, far away is Rogue One: A Star Wars Story from 2016. It is, at the very least, the final Star Wars film that hasn't caused major rifts in the fandom (even if many of them seem to be right-wing trolls) or damaged entire trilogies.

It served as the inspiration for the prequel television series Andor, a rare instance of a Star Wars show that has succeeded despite having little to do with George Lucas' original trilogy, and it seemed like that elusive instance of the nostalgia-fest that somehow manages to be both nostalgic and entertaining.

Whoever was actually in charge of creating this surprising late-era treat for die-hard Star Wars fans may not have mattered all that much. However, there were rumors and stories about how Gareth Edwards, the film's apparent director, had been essentially replaced for the final cut by Gilroy even before Rogue One made its theater debut. The general consensus was that Lucasfilm felt the need for significant reshoots and a new writer-director at the helm because Edwards had filmed cheesy dialogue, missed the obvious opportunities to make a wonderfully gloomy Star Wars' equivalent of Blake's 7 (because pretty much everybody important dies at the end), and generally let them down.

Both Tony Gilroy and his brother John, who assisted in the final movie's editing, have

Rogue One was in "terrible trouble" when Tony Gilroy was called in, he said on the podcast The Moment With Brian Koppelman in 2018. When you go inside, he claimed, "it's actually very, very simple to solve. If you look at Rogue, all the difficulty with Rogue, all the confusion of it... and all the mess." "Because you kind of think, 'This is a movie where everyone's going to die.' So it is a film about giving up.

Gilroy stated, "I arrived after the director's cut. All you could do was strengthen their position because they were in such terrible, terrible trouble and were trapped in a marsh.

To his credit, Edwards has responded in a surprisingly subdued manner. but not anymore.

Edwards claims that he was present for all five weeks of the reshoots, which included some of the most well-known scenes from Rogue One. The Darth Vader corridor scene was the very last shot that was captured during the pickup shoot, according to Edwards. "I completed all of that."

The most intriguing part of Edwards' speech was his justification for keeping quiet about Rogue One and those reshoots for seven years. "I don't believe many people have that much empathy for the kind of individual that gets the chance to make a Star Wars movie and then starts whining about it, in my opinion. I dread becoming like them. A dream came true, truly. I'm pleased with the film that we all made, he declared. What constitutes

Would Edwards himself even want this? Could we finally get to see a version of the movie in which famously bad but weirdly iconic lines such as Jyn Erso’s “This is a rebellion isn’t it? I rebel” (seen only thus far in early trailers and subsequently cut from the final movie) were reinstalled? It seems unlikely. Then again, this is a march towards Star Wars rehabilitation for Edwards that appears to be more glacially paced than death in the Sarlacc’s belly. Who knows where this might lead in a decade or two’s time?

I for one would be intrigued to see an Edwards cut. But let’s face it, the powers that be will probably just get him to direct an episode of Andor season three instead. In Hollywood, there’s always another way to square the circle.

As of my last knowledge update in September 2021, there had been no official announcements regarding the release of a director's cut or a significantly different version of Gareth Edwards' "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story." The film had undergone extensive reshoots and post-production work to ensure it aligned with the overall tone and style of the Star Wars franchise.

While there are often discussions among fans and within the film industry about director's cuts and alternate versions of movies, it's important to note that the final version of "Rogue One" that was released in theaters is considered the official version of the film.

If there have been any updates or announcements regarding a director's cut of "Rogue One" or the release of previously unseen footage, you should check the latest news from Lucasfilm and the official Star Wars channels for the most up-to-date information.