Three weeks on from its theatrical debut, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story continues to dominate the international box office, with the latest status report revealing that Gareth Edwards’ anthology flick has now comfortably soared past $800 million worldwide.
For a film shackled with great expectations – not to mention those damning reports of reshoots – it’s quite a remarkable feat, and there’s no telling how high Disney’s spinoff can climb on the proverbial box office ladder. A billion dollars will no doubt be the next major milestone for Rogue One to achieve, and Gareth Edwards’ thrilling pic is certainly well on its way. Pitched as a prequel to Star Wars: A New Hope, perhaps the movie’s greatest triumph was its seamless ability to recreate the look, feel and overall aesthetic of Lucasfilm’s original trilogy – from the shimmering halls of the Death Star to the rusty old droids – but the work of Industrial Light and Magic involved much more than practical effects.
That’s because Rogue One: A Star Wars Story resurrected two of the franchise’s iconic characters in Grand Moff Tarkin and Princess Leia – played by the late, great Peter Cushing and the equally-great Carrie Fisher, respectively – and today, ABC News has rolled out a new featurette that sheds light on the creative process involved in rendering CGI characters. It’s by no means the first time that a studio has called upon VFX wizards to resurrect a fallen star or character, and given that Disney and Lucasfilm are reportedly mulling over the option of bringing back Carrie Fisher’s Leia Organa via CG methods, it certainly won’t be the last.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story first launched on December 16, and is reportedly set to hit home video sometime in April.
