Star Wars: Rogue One [Now with GIANT SPOILERS, so beware!]

Yeah... But he's still the same guy.

I think that person had something more radical in mind where Anakin is not a main character at all, though I can't imagine why that would be better.

 

Yeah, me neither. But apparently these days anyone can make a better Star Wars movie than, you know, the guy who invented the whole thing...

 

I feel like I'm a pretty big Star Wars fan, but I honestly have felt no interest in these side films. I dunno why. If they end up being good, I'll check them out, but I don't feel any hype for them at all.

 

I hear what you're saying, but I'm really looking forward to them. I'm excited to see how these one-shot movies could take Star Wars into different directions and I see great potential there. Not everything has to be about blowing up a Death Star and saving the galaxy over the course of a trilogy. There is just so much potential to take new characters (or side characters) and tell a tale that weaves in nicely to an existing movie (like Rogue One is set to do) or backstories of already established characters (like the Han Solo one). New directors, screenwriters, actors, etc wanting to take a crack at adding to the Star Wars legacy. I think it could be great fun and if one isn't great, then so what you're going to get a brand new story the next time and won't be stuck with the equivalent of Episodes 2 & 3 after you already know Episode 1 stinks. I could see these stories continuing well beyond the new trilogy and perhaps being the only ones for awhile (assuming they don't keep doing new trilogies forever).

 

Although, this movie is completely about blowing up the Death Star!

 

Not exactly, but I get your point

Not every story needs to be about Jedi vs Sith for control of the galaxy, how about that?

 

Indeed. In fact, the early publicity of "Rogue One" suggests the whole point of it is to make a Star Wars movie in which the Jedi and Sith play no role. (On the other hand, there are also rumors of Darth Vader making an appearance). We'll see.

 

I'm very excited for these "Anthology" films. Whatever they end up getting called, as one-shot concepts, it seems like an amazing opportunity to get very creative writers and directors to make their mark on the Star Wars mythos. I suspect some will be great, and others... won't. But the highs may be very well outweigh the lows.

 

I'll respond since I'm "that person"

I was actually echoing what a friend had suggested when we were discussing ways the prequels might have been improved, but I admit that he and I were both looking at it from the perspective of what didn't work in the prequels, primarily this "fall from grace" that Anakin's character arc takes, which Lucas handled so poorly. So if he HAD done a good job of telling that story, yes, I think it could have made for a compelling trilogy. I also think another storyline where Anakin's character/transformation is marginal could have been equally as compelling.

What to put in its place? The impressions conjured up by Kenobi's brief reminiscence in Star Wars about the Old Republic and the Clone Wars would have been a start. Maybe we'll get some of that in Rogue One, maybe not.

It's just creative speculation for discussion, guys.

 

On that note... the short stories in the novels Tales From Jabba's Palace and Tales of the Bounty Hunters could make interesting source material for these anthology films.

 

I'm intrigued by this one. After all, "many Bothans died to bring us this information." I have to admit to being less intrigued by the Han Solo origin film that will follow Episode VIII, however. I don't know, maybe it's just me, but I think we have all we need to know about Han. Of course, I'll definitely see it and will likely be completely wrapped up in the excitement for it. It's being produced by Christopher Miller and Phil Lord, of Lego Movie and Last Man On Earth fame, and if they can pull those two off as well as they did, I have faith in them for a Han Solo film. I just don't think it's quite as compelling a back-story to dig into. But Disney seems to want to completely blanket us with Star Wars for the next five years, so I guess it'll do.

 

I think they have their work cut out for them casting someone who the audience will buy as Han Solo, to put it mildly.

 

Great post!

Of course, "The Bothans" would presumably be part of a sequel, as Rogue One is reported to set-up the events of A New Hope and not Return Of The Jedi.

 

Maybe they'll do a Peter Cushing (Grand Moff Tarkin), ie, reprise his character through CGI.

 

That's actually the rumor I heard.

 

His brief cameo in Episode III could've been done better.... I didn't even notice he was there the first couple times I saw the film!

 

You were better off. The more you realize it's supposed to be Tarkin, the worse it appears.

 

Agreed! It doesn't really look much like Peter Cushing at all.
In fact, I don't think I even knew it was supposed to be Tarkin until I read it somewhere online and then specifically looked for him the next time I watched the movie!

 

I knew it was Tarkin the first time I saw it. That scene is one of the few scenes in the entire prequel trilogy that actually came off pretty well, probably due to the fact that it referenced aspects of the original trilogy. It was all there: Vader fully dressed, the Emperor, Tarkin, the Executioner or Super Star Destroyer and the Death Star.

 

A lot of time has passed since then (in CGI years). They can do some pretty good stuff now. Have a look at this facial animation:

 

Ben Mendelsohn: Star Wars 7 Gives Rogue One ‘Something To Reach For’

• By Andy L. Kubai

Star Wars is back in a big way. As Star Wars: The Force Awakens smashes box office records across the board, the franchise is no longer treading water. It’s surging ahead. Positive fan and critical response toEpisode 7 signifies both a return to form for the saga and paves the way for the future of Star Wars in all of its incarnations.

With Episode 8 a long year and a half away, fans are already gearing up for the first installment of the Anthology series, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The first standalone Star Wars film, currently in production, follows rebel spies as they seek the blueprints for the freshly minted Death Star — leading up to the backdoor of Episode 4. Aside from that, fans know precious little else, as Disney is very good at keeping secrets. However, Ben Mendelsohn (Bloodline), recently discussed the future of the legendary series.


The actor, who is also known for his role in The Dark Knight Rises, recently finished shooting his scenes on the Rogue One set. Although Mendelsohn reveals little about his supposed role as a villainous Moff in his talk with Deadline, he does express his excitement at being a part of the franchise. He also gives his blessing to Episode 7 and explores how it will impact the upcoming Anthology film:

“I wouldn’t want to spoil anything for anyone on those levels…But you can expect something pretty special, I’d like to think. I was in the audience for number seven and it was delightful. It exceeded my wildest hopes and dreams for what it might be. It’s a beautiful film. So we’ve got something to reach for and that’s a good thing.”

Mendelsohn, whose career is on the rise, was extremely excited to take part in a film series which had a long-term impact on his life:

“So it was, like, 1977, and I was there…What can I say? I bought it. I bought it lock, stock and barrel. I’ve been a fan of it forever. It’s Star Wars, and there’s nothing more that you can say about that, because anyone that actually knows what that means, they get it.”



While Mendelsohn being a huge fan who loved acting in the “Star Wars world” doesn’t necessarily prove that the first standalone film has merit, his enthusiasm doesn’t hurt. With an excellent cast includingFelicity Jones (The Theory of Everything) as the rebel leader, Mads Mikkelsen (Hannibal), Riz Ahmed (Nightcrawler), and Alan Tudyk (Firefly) presumably as rebels, as well as a batch of legitimate British officers as rebel soldiers, Rogue One is shaping up to be a unique Star Wars experience.

Director Gareth Edwards’ (Godzilla) use of practical effects and selection of original characters – with the exception of one heavy breather – could make Rogue One truly stand out from the other films in the series. Even with all the high caliber talent in the world, though, it will be interesting to see how a Star Wars ‘heist’ movie without a major Skywalker connection turns out. Hopefully, Rogue One will provide a refreshing look at the Star Wars universe after Rebels and before A New Hope.

Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens is now in theaters, followed by Rogue One: A Star Wars Story on December 16th, 2016, Star Wars: Episode VIII on May 26th, 2017, and the Han Solo Star Wars Anthology film on May 25th, 2018. Star Wars: Episode IX is expected to reach theaters in 2019, followed by the third Star Wars Anthology film in 2020.
http://screenrant.com/star-wars-rog...dium=Social-Distribution&utm_campaign=SR-FB-P

 

The Hollywood Reporter questions the timing of Rogue One:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/star-wars-is-rogue-one-852000
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As has become increasingly obvious over the last few weeks, Star Wars: The Force Awakens has touched a nerve in the audience.

Not only is the movie proving to be exactly the box office juggernaut that Disney executives undoubtedly hoped for, but fandom has quickly taken the new cast to heart, as the amount of art and 'shipping between Finn (John Boyega) and Poe (Oscar Isaac) demonstrates.

The torch — the lightsaber, let's be honest — has been successfully passed … which might end up being an issue for the future of the franchise, thanks to this December's Star Wars: Rogue One.

After all, Rogue One is literally a step back in Star Wars mythology. Immediately after The Force Awakens has fired up audiences about what happens next in a Galaxy Far, Far Away, Rogue One will take them back to a time before the original 1977 movie, for a mission that fans already know the outcome of; the plot revolves around the stealing of the plans for the original Death Star that the Rebels have in the first movie.

It would make more sense on a number of levels to create something that is, if not a direct sequel to The Force Awakens — that is unlikely in the year gap between scheduled releases — then at least in some way connected to the new mythology debuted therein. Maybe something filling in the gaps between Return of the Jedi and where things pick up in the new movie, and dealing with many of the unanswered questions in fans' minds, for example.

Instead, Rogue One ignores the new status quo and takes the franchise back three decades. Just when J.J. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan have successfully managed to add to move the Star Wars saga forward — arguably for the first time since 1983's Return of the Jedi — why immediately take another trip back in time?

It's a question that has multiple facets. Beyond the storytelling problems of how to make a story with a known outcome suspenseful — or, for that matter, how to create something that exists in roughly the same timeframe as the current Star Wars: Rebels animated series without stepping on its toes — there's the very basic issue of dealing with the confusion of an audience who'll want to know why the next Star Wars film after The Force Awakens not only doesn't follow up on that movie's cliffhanger ending, but doesn't even feature any of the same characters or even the same political factions, to the best of our knowledge. Of course, Star Wars is a series that likes its surprise reveals when least expected.

While Rogue One works on the same logic as Marvel's Cinematic Universe, in that multiple movies can be released within the same franchise without being direct sequels to one another, Star Wars isn't exactly the same beast — for one thing, it has historically been a franchise in which all the cinematic releases (with the exception of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated feature) were intended to be part of one continual narrative, albeit released out of order.

And, more importantly for marketing purposes, it's easier for audiences to tell Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange and Captain America movies apart because they have different titles; they're not called Avengers: [Additional Subtitle Here].

(Additionally, Captain America: The First Avenger aside, the Marvel movies all take place roughly along a forward-moving timeline, sidestepping the "this happens 30 years before the last one you saw" framing problem of Rogue One.)

Beyond that, however, there's the question of whether Rogue One could dampen the momentum that The Force Awakens has, well, awoken. Introducing a second all-new cast of characters in the space of a year risks undercutting the importance of (and affection for) Finn and Rey, especially, as the more diverse face of Star Wars in the current age.

Although the cast of Rogue One is far from the white wash of Star Wars of old, it's also less diverse than The Force Awakens, a shift that might upset new fans of the franchise drawn in by the inclusiveness of that movie.

On their own, none of these issues — the time-shift, the new cast, even the seeming pivot towards nostalgia — would be as much of a problem if Rogue One didn't immediately follow The Force Awakens.

If "the new guard" of the franchise had been given more than one movie to establish itself, then Rogue One might be better appreciated as the break from the norm it's intended to be. But with only one installment of the new order released, there's no "norm" established just yet.
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I think they have a point but at the same time, audiences have gotten pretty used to complicated mythologies in movies and TV shows. The article brings up Marvel movies as a comparison, but to me the Marvel movies (and the X-Men movies) demonstrate that people can track a complicated universe through multiple films and time periods.

 

I think that Disney is banking on the hardcore Star Wars fanbase to make the Anthology films financially viable. I doubt it will be given nearly as much marketing and press coverage as The Force Awakens has received.

 

Even after loving TFA, seeing it three times, and being hyped about Star Wars again, I still feel this way. The trailers and reviews for this are gonna have to be amazing.

 

I enjoyed The Force Awakens very much, but there's no denying that it was very derivative of A New Hope. I have a feeling that Rogue One is going to be very different than any Star Wars movie that has come before. It looks to be much grittier in style and tone than any of the previous. Of course, there's not much to base that belief on yet, but there are a few promo stills and a teaser. It all looks to be a bit edgy.