Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

[Abacus]

The Tarkin novel mentioned an unidentified Director of the ISB. That's who this guy should be based on his uniform.

Would have some nice symmetry there.

[Khaat]

If the panels on the TIE Striker were radially symmetric (the root-to-tip projected straight out from center-line) the wings would create minimum obstruction for the pilot. As-is, they create blind spots (not that anyone uses the Mark I Eyeball.) I do like the idea of a specialized atmospheric TIE, though: the Empire's military isn't all Navy....

Could do without "a [adjective] warrior" in the descriptions, though. How about rebels were more than gunslingers looking for a fight? Or is this Seven Samurai...? Oh, crap, they've come full circle: back to Kurosawa.

[Elheru Aran]

Regarding the T-70s: IIRC we see a T-65 in the trailer, so perhaps that's just concept art. Other illustrations show T-65's, so I'm guessing that's the case. I wish they would lay off making new TIE fighters, even TFA didn't make radical changes to the design-- smacks a little too much of EU fuckery to me. In particular they remind me a lot of Zsinj's Raptor fighters. That's not necessarily a good thing.

Bear in mind that the movie doesn't come out until December. They're not going to reveal anything serious much before then. They didn't release any artbooks, ICS books, visual dictionaries or whatever for TFA until the day of-- OPSEC was pretty damn airtight. If anything comes out before the movie, it'll all be vague 'this is so and so, that is this' description that doesn't say much of anything plot-wise. I'm expecting possibly a new-EU novel or two in the interim as well; they already released a sort-of prequel to TFA, 'Bloodlines'. Those should help flesh out things a wee bit. Obviously, again, they're not going to release anything that directly relates to Rogue One until after release.

[RogueIce]

The U-wing looks stupid. They took a Y-wing cockpit, bolted on what look like the X-wing engines, and gave it two giant forward fins for no discernible reason?

Seriously what was even the point of making this thing?

[Mange]

Regarding the T-70s: IIRC we see a T-65 in the trailer, so perhaps that's just concept art.

It's most likely a placeholder as that is concept art from TFA (and it was used as a Topps trader card in the TFA Concept Art Collection as "The Resistance's X-Wing Starfighters").

[eMeM]

The U-wing looks stupid. They took a Y-wing cockpit, bolted on what look like the X-wing engines, and gave it two giant forward fins for no discernible reason?

Seriously what was even the point of making this thing?

It's a small troop transport, not a fighter.

[RogueIce]

The U-wing looks stupid. They took a Y-wing cockpit, bolted on what look like the X-wing engines, and gave it two giant forward fins for no discernible reason?

Seriously what was even the point of making this thing?

It's a small troop transport, not a fighter.

In that case it might be better, so we'll see.

I mean, they label it as "Rebel Starfighter U-wing" but then again, they also copied the text between Death Trooper and Stormtrooper and the first paragraph of that Starfighter page talks about costumes for some reason, so maybe we'll chalk that up to NOT FINAL I guess.

[applejack]

SWRO is set to undergo reshoots to improve the film...

Hollywood Reporter

MAY 31, 2016 4:47pm PT by Borys Kit
Disney Orders Reshoots for 'Star Wars' Stand-Alone 'Rogue One' This Summer

Executives felt it was tonally off with what a “classic” 'Star Wars' movie should feel like.

Star Wars stand-alone movie Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will undergo several weeks’ worth of additional shooting, sources have confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter.

Much of the cast and director Gareth Edwards will regroup in mid-June for another round of shooting. The move is happening after execs screened the film and felt it was tonally off with what a “classic” Star Wars movie should feel like. The pic has not yet been tested before audiences, but one source describes the cut as having the feel of a war movie.

The goal of the reshoots will be to lighten the mood, bring some levity into the story and restore a sense of fun to the adventure.

Rogue One focuses on the fabled mission hinted at in Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope, that of a group of rebels stealing the plans to the Death Star. The plans later end up in the hands of Princess Leia, who transfers them to R2-D2.

“This is the closest thing to a prequel ever,” a source tells THR. “This takes place just before A New Hope and leads up to the 10 minutes before that classic film begins. You have to match the tone!”

And while it’s not confirmed, some suggest that the new shooting could pave the way for an appearance of Han Solo as played by Alden Ehrenreich. The actor only recently nabbed the role of the spice smuggler and was not involved in Rogue One’s principal photography, which ran from last August to February.

Disney re-introduced audiences to Star Wars with Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which garnered excellent reviews and grossed over $2 billion worldwide, becoming the third-highest-grossing movie of all time. Sources say that while Edwards’ first cut was a solid showing, it didn’t measure up to the bar set in terms of four-quadrant appeal.

“Anything less than extraordinary won’t do,” says a studio insider.

Reshoots or additional shooting are practically a given in this decade of tentpole comic book, fantasy and sci-fi moviemaking. The films are massive productions, filled with so much green-screen and fit together in a way that, more often than not, demands for shooting to fill in holes or clarify plots. Even acting deals have the shoots in mind when contracts call for “run of show” appearances, which include not just shooting anytime during production but even during postproduction, say several agency sources.

The New York Post first reported about the Star Wars reshoots.

My Facebook newsfeed first tipped me off about this with a rather sensationalist and panicky headline about how executives felt the submitted cut was so bad they had to order reshoots. This article makes it sound a bit more reasonable, though I suppose reshoots still point to potential problems...

Still, what do you guys make of this part:

The pic has not yet been tested before audiences, but one source describes the cut as having the feel of a war movie.

I would have thought this was a good thing. But maybe that's just me?

[Rogue 9]

The article I saw first speculated that it may be to tone down Vader's scenes since they were previously described as very dark.

[U.P. Cinnabar]

"...it has the feel of a war movie."

About a movie that's set during...a..fucking...WAR!

I know Disney's had its moments of dumb since Walt died, but goddamn, people!

[applejack]

The article I saw first speculated that it may be to tone down Vader's scenes since they were previously described as very dark.

Do you happen to have a link to that article? I can't seem to find anything offhand about Vader's scenes being edited or re-shot. The only thing I came across is speculation from Makingstarwars.com four months ago that apparently a ridiculously brutal battle involving Vader was proposed via storyboards:

The action sequences filmed are unknown, but there was work pitching the different ways Darth Vader could kill rebels on a battlefield with the Force and his lightsaber. The storyboard “pitches” showed decapitated rebels, people being dismembered by Vader throwing his sword, levitating bodies to make human shields, and so on. The art was more violent than what we’ve seen Darth Vader do on screen before.

But I haven't seen anything as to whether those scenes were actually shot or are being redone if they were.

[Borgholio]

"...it has the feel of a war movie."

About a movie that's set during...a..fucking...WAR!

I know Disney's had its moments of dumb since Walt died, but goddamn, people!

I think they meant "War Movie" as in something like Saving Private Ryan...where it's bloody, painful, gritty, and has a totally different feel than the battles of Geonosis or Hoth had. There IS such a thing as being too dark.

[Galvatron]

If his previous work is anything to go by, I can imagine Gareth Edwards delivering some pretty frightening war imagery. The HALO jump sequence from Godzilla, for example, was fucking creepy.

[Khaat]

Sounds as though "war" was captured pretty well, but Disney wants to deliver the lighter "comic-book war" feel. I can't say I blame them: the property has massive kid (and toy) appeal, so they can't make it PG13 (or even NC17) and keep that market.

Though I do want a more mature Star Wars than ewoks, gungans, and BB8 "for cuteness' sake."

[U.P. Cinnabar]

I think they meant "War Movie" as in something like Saving Private Ryan...where it's bloody, painful, gritty, and has a totally different feel than the battles of Geonosis or Hoth had. There IS such a thing as being too dark.

As opposed to the battle of Hue from FMJ. Because that doesn't have a totally different feel at all:

[U.P. Cinnabar]

Sounds as though "war" was captured pretty well, but Disney wants to deliver the lighter "comic-book war" feel. I can't say I blame them: the property has massive kid (and toy) appeal, so they can't make it PG13 (or even NC17) and keep that market.

Though I do want a more mature Star Wars than ewoks, gungans, and BB8 "for cuteness' sake."

The Marvel comics "comic-book war" feel or the Dark Horse comics "comic-book war" feel?

[Galvatron]

As opposed to the battle of Hue from FMJ. Because that doesn't have a totally different feel at all:

I'd like to see Twilight Company get interviewed like this:

[U.P. Cinnabar]

Or, if they really want a lighter side of war:

[Khaat]

I got the feel from the original trailer that it would be more Seven Samurai, bitter-sweet, got-it-done-at-great-costs kind of thing. Something Mon Mothma could get all withdrawn over.

The Marvel comics "comic-book war" feel or the Dark Horse comics "comic-book war" feel?

Dunno, I suppose I mean the "yes folks get shot/blown up, but we see not-moving bodies (stormtroopers, rebel troopers, Ewoks, gungans, clone troopers, Jedi), rather than animated injuries" thing SW has done, mostly (including ESB: troopers on Hoth get shot as they run, but they don't leave streaks/sprays/pools of blood over the snow.)

I'm thinking back through the OT and PT, and the most gruesome injuries I can remember were: incinerated Aunt B and Uncle O, bloody arm on the cantina floor, incinerated Greedo. Most everything else was "get shot-fall down", or some other "concealed" thing - troopers on both sides on the Tantive IV, jawas, troopers on Hoth/Sanctuary Moon, Dagobagh-cave-Vader's head, even Luke's hand: not "bloody aftermath."

Anakin on Mustafar was pretty graphic, though.

If the Vader scenes were what they sounded like, they went back to what Yoda did in the PT to clone troopers, after the special order went out.

[U.P. Cinnabar]

Anakin on Mustafar was pretty graphic, though.

As were a great many scenes in The Clone Wars

I just find the idea of "comic-book violence" being considered somewhat lighter in tone a little...well, for someone who grew up on Sgt. Rock, G.I. Combat("The Haunted Tank" stories in particular, before it got its own title), The Unknown Soldier, Code Name:Gravedigger, and Weird WarTales, amongst many others*, I find that to be somewhat illogical.

*Or, if you prefer to make yours Marvel, Sgt. Fury and the Howling Commandos, which I didn't know were a prequel to Nick Fury, Agent Of S.H.I.E.L.D., til much later in life. Hell, even the Marvel comic treatments of The Transformers and G.I. Joe were pretty violent and graphic compared to the cartoons.

[Galvatron]

I can't help but suspect that this is a ploy to tease fans with an unrated director's cut for the Blu-ray release.

[Khaat]

Comic book violence never meant it didn't happen, but the Comics Code kept the graphic display down: "cover it with action lines!" "throw it into silhouette!" "more onomatopoeia!" We don't get Leprechaun-style aftermath/gore in comic-book violence (routinely.)

I'm certainly willing to concede there are comic book titles that defy the stereotype.

[Elheru Aran]

Comic book violence never meant it didn't happen, but the Comics Code kept the graphic display down: "cover it with action lines!" "throw it into silhouette!" "more onomatopoeia!" We don't get Leprechaun-style aftermath/gore in comic-book violence (routinely.)

I'm certainly willing to concede there are comic book titles that defy the stereotype.

If I might digress:

Comic-book violence has covered the gamut over the decades. One work-around in the 60s-80s was to release 'magazines' with multiple stories (as opposed to the single-story 'comic books' featuring only one lead character). Warren Publishing was a major leader in this area, with Vampirella, Eerie, Creepy etc. These could be highly explicit compared to the 'comics' of the time, which, if they adhered to the Code, could only imply-- and sometimes not even that-- violence, sex, and language. Punches would end outside the frame of the picture, robots would explode in a shower of springs and gears, a hand would be the only part shown of a dead body, someone would start a kiss in one frame and it would fade to black... things like that. Mind you it's not like Vampirella etc. ever showed tits and actual gore-- but they sure came damn close, and even a time or two crossed that line (but not too many times!).

Since the Code went defunct in the late 90s, comic books have tended to up the violence quotient-- showing hands getting lopped off, people holding in their guts (but not usually any visible innards), and so forth. If they get bloodier than that, they get a Mature label. Star Wars has pretty much always been a maximum of PG-13 (fan art doesn't count). It has benefited from the fact that its violence, for the most part, is very 'comic book' in its nature-- laser guns that don't leave gore behind, lightsabers which carve people up cleanly, and so on.

Honestly, if Gareth Edwards was trying to turn Rogue One into the Star Wars equivalent of Saving Private Ryan, I might have had a problem with that. That kind of open violence and gore, while acceptable in other contexts, doesn't seem to suit the specific... I'm not sure what the word is; I want to say 'atmosphere', of the Star Wars universe.

[Rogue 9]

The article I saw first speculated that it may be to tone down Vader's scenes since they were previously described as very dark.

Do you happen to have a link to that article? I can't seem to find anything offhand about Vader's scenes being edited or re-shot. The only thing I came across is speculation from Makingstarwars.com four months ago that apparently a ridiculously brutal battle involving Vader was proposed via storyboards:

The action sequences filmed are unknown, but there was work pitching the different ways Darth Vader could kill rebels on a battlefield with the Force and his lightsaber. The storyboard “pitches” showed decapitated rebels, people being dismembered by Vader throwing his sword, levitating bodies to make human shields, and so on. The art was more violent than what we’ve seen Darth Vader do on screen before.

But I haven't seen anything as to whether those scenes were actually shot or are being redone if they were.

Here. As I said, speculation.

[Elheru Aran]

A few new details about the characters:

http://screenrant.com/star-wars-rogue-o ... criptions/

http://screenrant.com/star-wars-rogue-o ... w-gerrera/

The latter is particularly interesting as, IIRC, it's one of the first times an EU character has been canonized in the films themselves (though from a certain point of view Rogue One is EU itself...).

I'm guessing Galen Erso may be one of the Death Star designers.

Donnie Yen's character is interesting... 'lives by the Jedi Code' but isn't actually a Jedi. Could be Force sensitive, though.