It really is difficult to make a movie, from the perspective of a director's chair. Not only do you have to deal with the constant filming and problems on the set, but you might have a perfected work that your producers ask you to re-shoot. This is the case for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, as it doesn't look like Star Wars franchise owner Disney was too pleased with director Gareth Edwards first screening of the prequel to Star Wars: A New Hope. Part of the issue is the story, but the addition of a young Han Solo could affect the film's release date.
According to MovieWeb, executives at Disney and Lucasfilm believe that the movie is not totally in-line with what a Star Wars movie is supposed to be. Apparently the director went for more of a war film rather than the star fantasy feel that Star Wars is known for, and so reshoots are going to happen.
Cinemablend has a unnamed source saying: "The filmmaking team and the studio always anticipated additional shooting and second unit work to make the film the absolute best it can be, and the actors were aware there would be additional shooting. Coming off The Force Awakens, there's an incredibly high bar for this movie and we have a responsibility to the franchise and to the fans to deliver the best possible movie we can."
Disney is playing it safe in ensuring that they are releasing the best product that they can. The company recently took a dive after the sequel of Alice Through The Looking Glass essentially flopped at the box office, an issue not helped by the latest news about Johnny Depp. One hopes that Disney won't try and micro-manage Rogue One too much. After all, many Star Wars fans might welcome a tonal shift for a Star Wars movie as this is what made The Empire Strikes Back so great.
There is another reason why reshoots are happening, and that is the addition of a young Han Solo. ScreenRant says that Alden Ehrenreich, who is going to star in another Star Wars extended cinematic universe film with a solo Han Solo film, will have at least some part in Rogue One.
If this does happen, it doesn't look like Han will have a huge part in the film, but just enough to remind audiences that his project is being worked on. This does seem like a management decision, as it doesn't seem right to bring in a young Han Solo with a film that takes place before Star Wars: A New Hope. After all, Han didn't get involved in the story until events during A New Hope, and it just seems like the producers are shoe-horning in this character just so fans will be appeased, even though they aren't really demanding this. Or are they?
Hopefully, these reshoots won't affect the release date for Rogue One, which is hopefully arriving on its scheduled December 16, 2016.
