A long time ago (well, three years) in a galaxy far, far away, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story survived very troubled (and publicized) behind-the-scenes struggles to become a huge box office hit and a movie that fans embraced with a passion.
Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton) was called in to oversee completion of director Gareth Edwards’ film, which resulted in lots of structural changes that left many scenes glimpsed in trailers left behind. Audiences are still finding out new bits of making-of trivia concerning Rogue One, with the latest spilt tea coming from an interview with one of the movie’s writers, who shared that the first Star Wars Story originally had a happy ending.
On the CultPopture Podcast, Chris Weitz – who took over writing duties from Gary Whitta – revealed during an interview that the version he worked on did not have the ending where all of the heroes died making the sacrificial play.
“As a matter of fact, it ended with a wedding,” Weitz said. “I think it was on the presumption that Disney wouldn’t allow characters to die with such abandon.” But Weitz ultimately agreed that the best ending for these characters was the one that arrived in theaters, given the story those heroes were servicing. “I felt it was necessary because nobody ever mentions them or sees them again. But also because we’ve done this whole sort of theme about sacrifice that it was appropriate that all of our main characters die.”
Weitz also talked about two other notable changes that occurred between his work on the film and the finished version: Darth Vader’s appearance in the final moments? That did not exist before Gilroy was involved. Weitz’s screenplay also intended to be significantly more vague regarding the Death Star and its blueprints being the objective of the Rebels’ plot.
“It was just the sense that the Rebellion – that something bad was going down and we need to find out about it,” he said. “There was this developing sense of dread throughout the film.”
Currently, Lucasfilm has no active plans to revisit future Star Wars Story movies on the big screen, with their focus currently on completing Episode IX of the new trilogy. J.J. Abrams’ much-anticipated finale to the series he started arrives in theaters December 20.
