Disney Reportedly Unhappy With Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Update)

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Disney execs in a panic over next Star Wars film

THE first Star Wars spin-off, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, is in crisis, and the movie will have to go into expensive reshoots over the summer.
The much-anticipated Rogue One is due for release on Dec. 16, but sources have confirmed to Page Six that bosses at Disney are not fully satisfied with the first cut from director Gareth Edwards.
One Hollywood source told Page Six, “The execs at Disney are not happy with the movie, and Rogue One will have to go back into four weeks of expensive reshoots in July.”

The movie stars Felicity Jones, Mads Mikkelsen, Ben Mendelsohn, Forest Whitaker and Diego Luna. The Star Wars franchise’s first spin-off film will take us back in time to a point between Episodes III and IV. The plot reportedly sees resistance fighters embark on a daring mission to steal the plans for the Death Star before it can be used to enforce the Emperor’s cruel rule.
There has been much speculation that the movie will take a darker turn and Darth Vader will appear as the Emperor’s chief enforcer. It is also believed that a young Han Solo will make a cameo appearance. Page Six exclusively revealed earlier this month that Alden Ehrenreich has landed the coveted part to play the young Solo, a role made famous by Harrison Ford.

It was announced earlier this month that Edwards would not direct Godzilla 2 later this year, and would instead “focus on smaller films.” But the movie insider told Page Six, “Gareth’s work on the first Godzilla [which came out in 2014] shows he can handle a big studio blockbuster. But Rogue One has fallen short of what J.J. Abrams did with Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens. So Disney has ordered reshoots.”
Edwards is well-known as a risk-taking director, but has also been reported to prefer to keep studio influence at a minimum. The source added, “Disney won’t take a back seat, and is demanding changes, as the movie isn’t testing well.”
Reps for Edwards didn’t get back to Page Six.

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Yesterday, we reported that expensive reshoots had been ordered for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story because Disney executives were unhappy with test screenings of the film. Today, that story has been slightly amended, and we have a clearer pictures of why exactly the film is headed for reshoots.

First, as some of you know, reshoots are a standard part of any blockbuster film, and they’re not newsworthy on their own. What made these reshoots notable is that they were supposedly to address the dissatisfaction Disney executives have with the film right now. THR elaborates on that dissatisfaction by pointing out that the film isn’t at disaster, but rather it’s tonally not in line with what Disney wants the movie to be.

According to THR, “felt it was tonally off with what a “classic” Star Wars movie should feel like. The pic has not yet been tested before audiences, but one source describes the cut as having the feel of a war movie.”

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