The Helpful Role Rian Johnson Played In Gareth Edward's Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Gareth Edwards' 2016 flick "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" told the story of how the Rebel Alliance in "Star Wars" came into possession of the Death Star blueprints the Rebels used as their central guide for its destruction. Edwards' film focused on a loose-knit group of Rebels led by a young woman named Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), the daughter of one of the Death Star's architects.
The film's characters weren't terribly interesting, the dialogue was clunky at best, and the bland story was a frustratingly foregone conclusion — the end scenes of "Rogue One" link directly to the opening of "Star Wars" — but Edwards' film accrued a passionate cadre of fans who appreciated its gorgeous photography as well as its relative tonal darkness when compared to several other "Star Wars" movies. "Rogue One" also provided a lot of fan service for those thirsting for 134 straight minutes of "Star Wars" references. It filled in the cracks in "Star Wars" like the batter in a clafoutis.
In 2017, Edwards talked with Collider and revealed that he received a massive hand when making his movie. While constructing the finer details of his story, he needed a sounding board, someone who would listen and give constructive feedback. He found that sounding board in Rian Johnson, the director who was, at the time, already in production on "Star Wars: The Last Jedi." Edwards noted that Johnson helped him refine certain story elements.
Go, Diego, go!
Remember that Disney purchased Lucasfilm back in 2012, and immediately announced a grand plan for "Star Wars" that would flood the marketplace. Starting in 2015, there was to be a new "Star Wars" film every year. The odd-numbered years would feature a mainline "Star Wars" film, whereas the even-numbered years would feature spin-off movies about ancillary characters or events from the "Star Wars" universe. This plan worked for five years before it was abandoned in 2019.
"Rogue One" was the first of the spin-off movies, taking place in between "Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith" and the original "Star Wars." One can only imagine the bustle at Lucasfilm as multiple productions went underway at the same time. It's likely Edwards and Johnson ran into each other in a hallway as they each prepared their respective movies. Edwards, a fan of Johnson's, wanted to pitch his "Rogue One" idea to a peer. He recalled:
"Yeah, we were very lucky when we were developing the film. Rian Johnson was hanging around a lot working on his movie, and so I became very friendly with Rian. And he was actually the first person we ever told the story to. I remember [...] ['Rogue One' co-writer] Gary [Whitta and I] got him to come down to our office and we pitched him the whole movie very early on. [...] But his reaction encouraged us and he gave us some thoughts, [saying] 'Okay, that didn't come across.' And that was really, really useful."
Johnson had a cameo in "Rogue One" as a Death Star technician, while Edwards appeared in "The Last Jedi" as a Resistance fighter.
The last scene with Vader
"Rogue One" features the return of many "Star Wars" characters. The droids R2-D2 and C-3PO have brief cameos, a CGI-recreated Carrie Fisher plays a young Princess Leia in the final shot, and Darth Vader (Spencer Wilding) has a couple of notable scenes. Many fans seem to enjoy the sequence of Darth Vader using his lightsaber and his Force powers to slaughter a dozen Rebel soldiers. It seems that Johnson also really liked that scene. Edwards' recalled:
"Rian's an amazing filmmaker and so I really listened to anything he had to say. I think he saw the film when it was close-to-finished, and I remember getting an email from him where he said how great that last scene with Vader was, and it made my day."
It feels good to receive validation from a respected colleague.
Edwards' film was well-liked enough to warrant a spin-off TV series called "Andor," all about the character played by Diego Luna. "Andor" has been called one of the finest pieces of "Star Wars" media to come from the franchise's recent glut. "The Last Jedi," meanwhile, is the second best "Star Wars" film after the original, as it finally provided an outcome for the seemingly endless "Star Wars." The bad guys will win, it argued, but rebellion will always remain.
Johnson was slated to make an additional three "Star Wars" movies, but those projects have been put on indefinite hold. As of this writing, the only "Star Wars" movie with an officially announced title that's set to enter production is "The Mandalorian and Grogu," which is set to arrive in theaters sometime in 2026.