Gareth Edwards, director of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, has said he’s “very happy to move on” rather than return to a galaxy far, far away.
Rogue One received mostly positive reviews when it launched in December 2016, while spin-off Disney+ series Andor has become one of the franchise’s most critically-acclaimed projects ever.
Still, Edwards, whose next project Jurassic World: Rebirth launches on July 2, has said he is unlikely to ever return to direct another Star Wars project. “I’m very happy to move on and do my thing,” Edwards told Business Insider.
“It’s the thing that was in my life before I knew what a film was,” Edwards said, suggesting he still held a fondness for the Star Wars series in general. “It’s like your mom; it’s like something that’s a part of you. I’m always fascinated by what they’re doing. I never stop loving that trilogy.”
Despite Rogue One’s reception, production on the film — as with fellow Star Wars spin-off Solo — experienced a few bumps along the way. Indeed, Rogue One required five weeks of reshoots after principal filming wrapped, with additional story and a tweaked ending added by Tony Gilroy, who also joined the project as a second-unit director. (Gilroy, of course, also then went on to create Andor.)
“I’m very grateful that people say nice things,” Edwards said of Rogue One’s general reception among audiences now. Does he concur that the film is the best Star Wars project under Disney’s ownership? “I don’t agree with it, but I appreciate it,” he noted.
Keen to see what Edwards is up to now? Well, the latest Jurassic World: Rebirth trailer involves a prickly scene with a Spinosaurus that’s well worth a watch — though it probably also deserves a spoiler warning.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
