It appears Disney may be having some trouble launching their first Star Wars spin-off movie, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
A report by Page Six says the studio is not happy with the current state of the film which will now undergo “expensive reshoots over the summer.”
Rogue One is due to release in theaters on December 16 but the site reports that Disney bosses aren’t happy with the first cut from director Gareth Edwards.
Edwards has thus far directed two critically acclaimed films in Monsters and Godzilla. Both films however were generally underwhelming, despite the latter’s $93 million opening weekend, it topped out at $200 million worldwide with a 66% RottenTomatoes audience rating.
Rogue One stars Felicity Jones, Mads Mikkelsen, Ben Mendelsohn, Forest Whitaker and Diego Luna. The film will take us back in time to a point between Episodes III and IV.The plot reportedly sees resistance fighters embark on a daring mission to steal the plans for the Death Star before it can be used to enforce the Emperor’s cruel rule.
Edwards is well-known as a risk-taking director known for dark, moody filmmaking who reportedly likes to keep studio influence at a minimum. Disney however isn’t taking a back seat as the footage is currently not testing well.
A Disney source added, “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.”