While fans are getting increasingly hyped for the final installment of the Skywalker saga, a new report says that there may be trouble with the movie behind the scenes as it heads back into production for reshoots. After the controversial Last Jedi, there was always going to be a lot of pressure on Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker to win over everyone and it’s possible that Lucasfilm is turning to the franchise’s creator, George Lucas, to make sure that it does.
Former Playboy and LA Weekly contributor Art Tavana has shared on Twitter that he’s been informed Episode IX is about to undergo serious reshoots as “things aren’t looking good.” One precaution that could be taken is to bring Lucas on board as a creative consultant, though Tavana notes that it’s hard to say how pivotal a role this would be.
I’m being told that Disney is reshooting scenes for Star Wars (don’t quote me). Things aren’t looking good. Too many variables and audiences to please. George Lucas as a creative consultant seems like a very likely occurrence—though there’s no telling how much say he’ll have.
— Art Tavana (@arttavana) September 7, 2019
Bringing Lucas back to help out with the reshoots does make a certain amount of sense as we know that he was consulted at the scripting stage of Episode IX, as director J.J. Abrams turned to him in order to make sure his film joined up with the larger tapestry of the saga. If Rise is now in danger, you can see why the studio and Abrams would go to Lucas again to fix things.
It should be mentioned though that reshoots are a completely routine part of blockbuster filmmaking these days and don’t necessarily spell doom for a project. However, Disney’s Star Wars movies have often been cursed with reshoots that are pretty substantial.
Let’s just hope that this time around it’ll be more of a Rogue One situation, where the end product is worth the drama, and not another Solo, where the behind-the-scenes trouble is clear on screen. I guess we’ll find out soon enough, though, as Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters on December 20th.
