Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was the best of the spinoff Star Wars films, but one actor has admitted it didn’t have a completed script when they were filming it. When Disney and Lucas film decided to make Rogue One, the plan was to have several spinoff movies connected to the Star Wars property, but separate from the main trilogies. For Rogue One, it was a tale from the past that took place between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, where the story of getting the Death Star plans was told. It ended up as one of the best Star Wars movies since the original trilogy, but there is some surprising trivia surrounding its production.
In a Variety video, where Mads Mikkelsen tried to remember which movie quotes given to him were from, he had a chance to look back on his role in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. He then remembered some of the toughest shooting days and admitted that the film makers didn’t have a completed script while shooting the movie. However, he said this was all for the better.
The quote he was given was “it must be destroyed,” which is when his character, Galen Erso, said that the Death Star he helped create needed to be destroyed. He also said that his character had built the weakness into the plans so it could be destroyed if needed be. The entire scene was shot with water pouring over him, and Mikkelsen said that made it tough to shoot. That is when he admitted the script kept changing, and things he was saying had to fit what the film makers decided later. However, he said this wasn’t a bad thing.
“There was a lot of changes in the story,” Mikkelsen said. “For a Star Wars film, it was surprisingly unfinished in the script. It kept changing, and one would think that was already done. I don’t think they ever locked a draft. I think they kept working on it, and improvised, and went back and reshot stuff, and then came up with a better idea. [It] is kind of livable for a character like mine. I had my mission. I knew what it was. But, it was obviously tricky for the two young heroes not knowing exactly what they were carrying into a room of baggage. But I think it turned out to be a really nice film.”
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was released in 2016, directed by Gareth Edwards. It starred Felicity Jones as a young woman named Jyn, enlisted to find the plans that could destroy the Death Star, with a rebel named Cassian Andor (Diego Luna). Mads Mikkelsen plays Galen Erso, who is Jyn’s father and who is the man who helped create the plans to build the Death Star for the Empire.
The film was released one year after Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and one year before the release of The Last Jedi. While many fans questioned the movie’s coming in, as a prequel to the very first released Star Wars film, it ended up exceeding expectations. It has an 84% Rotten Tomatoes score and an even higher 87% from the audience rating. The film broke $1 billion and got fans excited about what could be next for the Star Wars spinoff films.
Sadly, after Solo: A Star Wars Story failed to match this film, Lucas film ended its push for spinoff movies and instead focused its attention on Disney+ streaming series. As a result, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was an anomaly and ended up being an exception to the rule rather than the start of something new. The upcoming Mandalorian spinoff movie has a chance to change things, but for now, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story remains the best of the best when it comes to Star Wars side stories, at least as far as movies are concerned.
