Home Movies

Director Gareth Edwards Compares Rogue One Tone To Empire Strikes Back

We're only a week away now from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. While most fans have their tickets secured and the schedules cleared, they still don't truly know what to expect from this first spinoff chapter. Will it be lighter than the other films? Darker perhaps? It's hard to tell, with multiple reported reshoots and switch-ups happening behind-the-scenes, but director Gareth Edwards (2014's Godzilla) wants to clear up some confusion.

Recommended Videos

We’re only a week away now from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. While most fans have their tickets secured and the schedules cleared, they still don’t truly know what to expect from this first spinoff chapter. Will it be lighter than the other films? Darker perhaps? It’s hard to tell, with multiple reported reshoots and switch-ups happening behind-the-scenes, but director Gareth Edwards (2014’s Godzilla) wants to clear up some confusion.

“We essentially got the license to be different on this movie,” Edwards said at the Rogue One: A Star Wars Story press junket. “With a standalone movie, we don’t really have to exist for other movies to continue, so we could be brave, and that’s what we did.”

Still, fans want to know how it compares to the previous Star Wars chapters, and in terms of tone, Edwards believes it falls closest in line with arguably the best one out there.

“In terms of Star Wars that I love, I guess we’d be aiming for The Empire Strikes Back [in tone],” Edwards noted. “While our movie takes itself quite seriously, there’s a lot of fun and humor in it, and hope is the key thing. It’s about trying to achieve something.”

The director also talked about the diversity of the cast, both in the traditional sense and in the way their characters come into the story.

“The story of this movie is having all these different people from all these different places and backgrounds who have very little in common, they all believe in a good future for the world,” the director noted.

The success of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will ultimately determine the future of the series, as well as its success away from the main chapters. As such, it’s going to be a pretty big deal for all involved. The film hits theatres in less than one week’s time, so if you don’t have them already, make sure you grab your tickets as soon as possible – if you can still get them, that is.