It’s obvious from comparing the trailers for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story to the completed film that several memorable moments were changed or removed altogether in the much publicized reshoots. But as it turns out, some of the most important scenes early in Rogue One were also significantly altered to give two of the film’s main characters more powerful introductions.
There are some spoilers ahead for Rogue One. Stop reading now if you’ve somehow missed the chance to see the movie in theaters. You’ve been warned!
Rogue One editors John Gilroy and Colin Goudie spoke with Yahoo Movies about the challenging process of putting together the finished film, and they revealed that some of the first scenes with Jyn Erso and Cassian Andor were reconceived to make the opening more exciting and add some moral ambiguity to the leading characters. Riz Ahmed’s Bodhi Rook was also given more attention in the story thanks to the reshoots.
“[The reshoots] gave you the film that you see today,” said Gilroy. “I think they were incredibly helpful. The story was reconceptualised to some degree, there were scenes that were added at the beginning and fleshed out. We wanted to make more of the other characters, like Cassian’s character, and Bodhi’s character…The scene with Cassian’s introduction with the spy, Bodhi traipsing through Jedha on his way to see Saw, these are things that were added. Also Jyn, how we set her up and her escape from the transporter, that was all done to set up the story better.”
Goudie added that Jyn’s introduction as a child was always the plan, but her first scene as an adult would have been her briefing with the Rebels. During the reshoots, the Rebels’ rescue of Jyn from an Imperial transport was added as a new intro for her character. “So having her in prison and then a prison break out, with Cassian on a mission… everybody was a bit more ballsy, or a bit more exciting, and a bit more interesting,” related Goudie.
Reshoots are a part of almost every blockbuster movie, and it sounds like the changes really did make Rogue One into a better film. That said, we’re still very intrigued to see some of Rogue One‘s lost moments on the eventual Blu-ray release.
What did you think about Rogue One‘s reworked intros for Jyn, Cassian, and Rook? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!
Image: Lucasfilm
