Rumor suggests Rogue One is reshooting 40% of its script; McQuarrie responds

Earlier this week we reported a rumor posted by Page Six that ROGUE ONE would be doing reshoots this summer. The site's sources stated this was due to executive dissatisfaction. This smoke gave way to some serious fire and since then, we've seen several other sites claim that there is no dissatisfaction, that the reshoots are to add more levity, that they're to add more time for a cameo, etc. Everyone had their own opinion on it, but then a recent one came along suggesting that there was A LOT more going on that we didn't know about.

Making Star Wars recently said that they spoke to several crew members, and that this was the gist of the information going around:

• Some crew initially heard J.J. Abrams was supervising the reshoots.
• Gareth Edwards is doing the reshoots himself but with a partner, Christopher McQuarrie.
• Christopher McQuarrie, the final writer on Rogue One will be working extensively with Edwards onset to make sure they’re on the “same page” with the most recent draft of the film.
• Christopher McQuarrie’s draft of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was considered superior to the film they shot previously.
• It was not Edwards’ fault as McQuarrie’s draft wasn’t completed when much of the film was shot and revisions kept coming in that made the film feel uneven.
• 32 sets have been recreated for the reshoot.
• The crew expects they are reshooting 40% of the film.
• They are working 6 days a week for 8 weeks.

As Doc Brown might say, that production is in for some serious shit. Now, it's important to note that we can't take all of this at face value. Even on a film set, there's a lot that crew members aren't privy to, and we have proof of that thanks to Christopher McQuarrie himself. It was said long ago that he did some re-writes on ROGUE ONE, but McQuarrie called out news sites on his Twitter account, asking why this would even be reported without at least TRYING to confirm some of it with him.

I mean, what kind of film site would report this news without going to the . . . oh, oh wait. Okay, I get it!

Fortunately, Christopher McQuarrie was goodly enough to give a statement to Slash Film regarding his position on ROGUE ONE. While it doesn't exactly clear up all those notes, it does suggest that we're getting a little excited over nothing. Check it out:

If there are any reshoots on Rogue One, I’m not supervising them. For any outlet to say so is not only wrong, it’s irresponsible. Gareth Edwards is a talented filmmaker who deserves the benefit of the doubt. Making a film – let alone a Star Wars chapter – is hard enough without the internet trying to deliberately downgrade one’s years of hard work. Who does that even serve? Let him make his movie in peace.

And there ya have it. The fact is, it's really business as usual as far as filmmaking goes. Things can seem hectic and out of control, or perfectly calm, and it almost never has a bearing on the final product. Look at the troubled production of JAWS, for example! The fact is that we don't know the extent of these reshoots or what they're reshooting. What we do know is that it's happening so Gareth Edwards and Co. can make a better film for everyone and that's a GOOD thing!

ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY will open in theaters on December 16, 2016.