Rogue One Reshoots To Add Levity To The Film, Says THR

The Hollywood Reporter reports the reshoots for Rogue One will add levity to the film, in order to make the transition from pure “war movie” to “classic” Star Wars adventure.

The Hollywood Reporter‘s sources tell them the reason behind the Rogue One: A Star Wars Story reshoots taking place this summer is levity is needed in the first Star Wars spinoff film. One source reported it had the feeling of a “war movie,” and was tonally deviant from the more lighthearted, “classic” Star Wars aesthetic cultivated in the original trilogy.

A rumor is also going around that the introduction of “levity” will happen in the form of Alden Ehrenreich’s Han Solo. Ehrenreich was only recently announced as being in possession of the role of young Han for the upcoming smuggler-centric spinoff film, meaning he wasn’t part of the original Rogue One shoot.

More from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

• Are Cassian and Jyn Star Wars’ most tragic potential romance?
• 5 Rogue One characters who should appear in Andor Season 2
• Who is Sergeant Jyn Erso of ‘Rogue One’ explained
• Who is Captain Cassian Andor of the Rebel Alliance explained
• Gareth Edwards describes initial conversation with George Lucas about Rogue One

There’s no denying the original trilogy had elements of darkness to it. Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, in turn, weren’t shy about taking those same dark themes to an unprecedented level. Rogue One is unique in that it has always been touted by director Gareth Edwards as a war movie, but the line between a depressing story of death and despair and a fun yet sobering against-all-odds adventure is fine. That line may be what Disney is trying to straddle, and it’s one all six Star Wars films, with the exception of Revenge of the Sith, have struggled successfully with as well. So when THR says Disney wants to lighten the tone of the film, don’t take this to mean Rogue One will be purely a swashbuckling joyride. While the family-oriented Disney company doesn’t exactly have a history of producing dark, gritty, blood-and-gore-and-sweat-and-tears films, it’s not afraid to get its hands a little dirty, as it demonstrated with Han’s death by his own son’s hand in The Force Awakens. Rogue One is only the second Star Wars film to come out of Disney’s acquirement of Lucasfilm, however, and they probably don’t want to stray too far from the original trilogy’s balance of humor and danger just yet.

As for adding Ehrenreich in to lighten the mood, it’s a terrible idea. It’s completely unnecessary, and it also undermines Rogue One‘s ability to be an independent success without the shoehorning in of a fan favorite character. There are other ways to add that old Star Wars sense of humor, like dialogue and one or two comedy relief characters (a la Jar Jar, only less blatantly comedic). But it’s just a rumor, so we’ll take it with a grain of salt.

Similarly, we won’t assume too much with regard to this report that Disney wants to lighten Rogue One. It’s easy to be nervous, considering Disney is not always open to taking risks (have you seen all their cartoon to live action movie adaptations?). However, we have to remember that Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm, has nearly as much, if not equal say in what happens with regard to Star Wars films. If she felt the film was too dark, you can be sure it’s probably for the best it’s getting a little tweaking before the premiere.

Next: Star Wars Fan Film Awards Open For Voting

Couple Kennedy’s involvement with creative decisions with the fact that reshoots happen all the time in the filmmaking world, and there’s really nothing to worry about. Yet.