The appearance of Darth Vader was the ideal conclusion for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story as the 2016 blockbuster came to a fitting end. Killing Rebel fighters left, right and center in an explosive sequence, it appeared as though the filmmakers from the franchise had everything planned out.
But as we discovered last month, not everything was carefully orchestrated. As reshoots and edits were required. One of the casualties in this process was screenwriter Gary Whitta, as the scribe opened up to Entertainment Weekly about the original plan for the movie before the draft had a do-over.
Krennic Was Intended To Be A Vader Victim of Swift Justice
Making the unusual admission that the greatest part of the installment had nothing to do with him, the writer said that he held back on the inclusion of the iconic character.
“Vader is in the movie as much as he always was," remarked Whitta. "He only had two things in the film. He was on Mustafar and then in the battle at the end. The rampage where (Vader) murdered everybody wasn’t me. That got added later. I had pictured early on Vader murdering all these Rebel soldiers but I never wrote it into the script. It was an idea that stuck around after I left and they ended up finding a cool way to use it. It’s actually my favorite thing in the film.”
With Jyn Erso and Cassian Andor escaping the planet following the Battle of Scarif where they were originally not supposed to be killed -- though they were in the final edit -- it would be Director Krennic who would also find his way onto the Star Destroyer where his death would be delivered at Vader's hand.
“They tore him out of the rubble and they brought him back,” Whitta recalls. “When they’re going over the ruins, he somehow survived. It’s a bit of a reach, which is why it isn’t in the finished film. He survived the blast and they pulled him up and brought him to the Star Destroyer to report to Vader. He’s all beat up, his cape’s all torn up and stuff, and he thinks he has survived. Vader kills him for his failure."
Ewan Keeps Door Ajar For Future Obi Wan Role
Stopping well short of giving an impassioned plea to Disney to reprise his role as Obi Wan Kenobi from Episodes 1-3, Scotsman Ewan McGregor told Business Insider this week that he is ready, willing and able to give it another shot. Just don't call him desperate!
“Listen, I have been asked about it a lot, to the point where it looks a bit like I’m sort of touting for work,” said McGregor. “I’ve been very open to say I’d be happy to do it, if they want to do it. I think they are set going into the 2030s with their movies, but it would be fun to do, of course I’d be happy to do it."
Comments