Though fans took the announcement that Disney had taken over the Star Wars franchise and would be releasing Episodes 7-9 and spinoffs with skepticism, the mass media conglomerate's treatment of the beloved saga has been pretty good so far. These fans are hard to please, and mild gripes aside, the critical, commercial, and supergeek reception of Star Wars: The Force Awakens was widely positive.
Due out later this year, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is the first spinoff movie in the franchise. Set between Episodes 3 and 4, the film follows the team that stole the plans for the Death Star. The first teaser trailer looked pretty damn cool: At-Ats on a tropical beach! A rag-tag team of rebels! That ninja guy! But that might not be the case. According to a report from Page Six, the film is in serious trouble.
"The execs at Disney are not happy with the movie, and Rogue One will have to go back into four weeks of expensive reshoots in July," a source told Page Six. Rogue One is due out on December 16, and is directed by Gareth Edwards, best known for the 2014 reboot of Godzilla.
"Gareth's work on the first Godzilla [which came out in 2014] shows he can handle a big studio blockbuster. But Rogue One has fallen short of what J.J. Abrams did with Star Wars: Episode VII: The Force Awakens. So Disney has ordered reshoots," the source told Page Six. "Disney won't take a back seat, and is demanding changes, as the movie isn't testing well."
Disney reps, however, insist there is no problem with the movie, telling Page Six, "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."
Considering Page Six caught the news of the young Han Solo casting of Alden Ehrenreich—who is rumored to appear in Rogue One—they must have a key source placed within the team.
Given the intense pressure on the studio to deliver with these movies, it's unlikely that Disney would release a film that didn't live up to The Force Awakens. Imagine how a poor reception could hurt potential profits of Episode VIII. If anything, take these possible reshoots as news that Disney is doing everything it possibly can to not screw this up. Let's just hope they don't.
