If you were ever hoping to see a Rogue One director’s cut, I wouldn’t count on it.
As the first standalone Star Wars movie, Rogue One had a lot riding on it, but against all odds, it succeeded. Grossing over $1 billion worldwide and receiving largely positive reviews, Rogue One introduced audiences to the brave team of Rebels who stole the plans to the Death Star. The production on the film was famously troubled, with extensive reshoots changing large chunks of the story. We’ve seen elements of scrapped footage in the trailers and promotional materials, which has some fans believing that a bigger, better version of Rogue One might exist. “Uh, no. That was the absolute best possible version you could ever have,” Tony Gilroy told THR in response to questions about a Rogue One director’s cut. “Oh my God. No. No.“
When asked to give more details, Tony Gilroy wouldn’t bite. “I’m not going to go into any more detail,” Gilroy said. “But the more authority that you hear people talk about online about what happened on that movie, the less they know. That’s all that needs to be said. Maybe someday … but no. That’s the absolute best version of that movie that you could possibly imagine in the time that was given.” Tony Gilroy co-wrote the Rogue One script and oversaw the reshoots and serves as the writer and showrunner of the Andor series on Disney+.
The first season of Andor was quite a success, with some calling it one of the best Star Wars projects of the modern era. Production on the second season is currently underway, with the story expected to cover a lot more ground than the first season before it leads right into the events of Rogue One. The conclusion of the first season found Cassian committing himself to the Rebels, but he still has a long journey ahead of him. “He says he wants to be a part of the Rebellion, but I’m not sure if he knows what that means yet,” Diego Luna explained last month. “He’s basically saying, ‘I want to speak the language,’ but now he has to learn it. And so it’s going to take longer. We’re gonna go for four years [in season two], and when we find him, he’s so far away from where we left him at the end of season one. He’s basically the guy to trust for something like that mission.“
The second season of Andor is expected to launch on Disney+ in August 2024. Would you still like to see a Rogue One director’s cut?