Gareth Edwards has proven with his filmography thus far that he is more than capable of bringing epic-sized action to cinema screens alongside believable characters that the audience can associate with. The action scenes in Godzilla and Monsters were filled with suspense and dread, and threat. This is promising for a director at the relative beginning of his career, and is likely why Lucasfilm approached him to direct Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and is likely why an undisclosed source to THR claimed the movie had the feel of a War movie.
The recent reports that Rogue One is currently shooting new footage is both unsurprising and inevitable. While it is promising that Rogue One will again show armed conflict scenes akin to those last seen and fondly remembered from Episodes V and VI, one thing that British director Edwards has not yet shown is an affinity for directing a sense of adventure, a key ingredient in any Star Wars movie, which according to THR's mystery source is the driving force behind the recently announced reshoots...
“This is the closest thing to a prequel ever. This takes place just before A New Hope and leads up to the 10 minutes before that classic film begins. You have to match the tone! Anything less than extraordinary won’t do,”
This could be where Alan Tudyk (pictured below) as the rebel-owned imperial enforcement droid K-250 could be given a more prominent role. Tudyk, star of Firefly and Con-Man, and long time friend of (the recently canceled) Castle star and Firefly co-star Nathan Fillion is both a comedy performer, voice artist and writer whose comedic talents have yet to realized by Hollywood. Using K-250 would also keeping with the tradition established by droids R2-D2, C-3PO and recently continued with great effect by The Force Awakens' adorable BB-8.
Contrary to other reports, these reshoots are not a sign of trouble with Lucasfilms' stand-alone Star Wars movies. The fact that the director and the studio have realized this movie's shortcomings without the need of a test audience and that they are amending the issue together is much better than the recent production crew overhauls we have seen affect the productions of Ant-Man and Fan4stic. The fact that Kathleen Kennedy and Gareth Edwards are working together to bring us the truest Star Wars experience possible can only ever be a good sign for all concerned, especially the fans.
The reshoots, helmed by Edwards and featuring most of the cast are expected to begin mid-June and last for several weeks, likely concluding in early September.
