Rogue One: A Star Wars Story underwent significant reshoots that we are only just scratching the surface of nine years later. Based on the directorial credit for the Star Wars movie, Gareth Edwards helmed Rogue One. However, even back when the movie was being produced in 2015, whispers of unrest among the crew were heard. Despite that, Rogue One was released to strong reactions from critics and fans alike, now being regarded as one of the best Star Wars movies under Disney’s watch.

In the years since Rogue One‘s release, there have been numerous inquiries into what exactly happened on the production. Tony Gilroy, the showrunner of Star Wars’ best TV show, Andor, was reportedly hired for extensive reshoots that altered enough of the story to warrant him receiving a co-screenwriting credit. Still, what exactly went down on the set of Rogue One remained somewhat of a mystery. That is until nine years later in 2025, when the release of Andor season 2 saw Gilroy become more candid about Rogue One‘s production than ever before.

Tony Gilroy Just Revealed What A Mess Rogue One Really Was

Rogue One Was In A Sorry State

In May 2025, shortly after Andor season 2’s ending, Tony Gilroy finally spoke out about Rogue One. Gilroy was asked about how most filmmakers involved in the 2016 project remain mute about what exactly the film’s issues were, and why the Andor showrunner was asked to extensively change the story in the reshoots. Due to almost a decade of silence on the matter, no one truly knew the extent of the reshoots until Gilroy commented on exactly this.

According to Gilroy, Rogue One was in a much more dire state than many first ᴀssumed. When asked about the project, Gilroy stated “Rogue [One] it was like, ‘There’s a corpse on the table, what are you gonna do? Could someone come in and save it?‘” Although this comment is still vague regarding the intricate details of the movie that needed changing, Gilroy likening it to a corpse indicates that there was a lot that was going wrong with Rogue One‘s original cut. In the nine years since the film’s release, this is undoubtedly the most frank anyone involved with Lucasfilm has been about the reshoots.

In a recent interview with Collider, Gilroy indicated a different way Rogue One was changed with the reshoots and restructuring. One of the reveals about Rogue One‘s initial draft was that Cᴀssian Andor and Jyn Erso had a more overtly romantic relationship, with the two sharing a kiss before their demise at the hands of the Death Star. Gilroy revealed that this was changed during his tinkering with the film:

“I knew very well what had happened with Jyn and Cᴀssian in Rogue One and what had happened in the elevator. I knew that scene very, very well. I probably went back and looked at that. I was pleased to see that my memory of it was of all the other takes and other things, and I was really pleased to see how we’d edited that, that it was really ambiguous about what it was…”

Evidently, Gilroy altered things so that Cᴀssian and Jyn’s relationship was more ambiguous. This supports his comments about the state Rogue One was in as it implies an entire subplot was part of the movie that was removed in the final cut.

Rogue One, as it is now, features little to no hints of an underlying romantic connection between Cᴀssian and Jyn. The two share a few longing looks in the aforementioned elevator, but there is nothing beyond that; Gilroy removed an entire romantic subplot from the film, indicating just how much the original plan either did not work or just how much needed to be changed in reshoots. If the filmmaker thought this aspect did not work, he certainly thought about others, explaining his need to come in and save the “corpse” of a movie.

What Initially Went Wrong With Rogue One?

We Still Don’t Truly Know

As I have already alluded to, it remains frustrating that we still do not truly know exactly what went wrong with Rogue One. The above comments from Gilroy are the most blunt anyone has been about it since 2016, but the more thorough details remain entirely in the dark. It has since been confirmed that Gilroy seemingly restructured a lot of the film’s third act, which resulted in all Rogue One‘s main characters dying. Similarly, the final scene involving Darth Vader cutting down Rebellion soldiers was the last sequence that was sH๏τ for the reshoots.

Beyond that, the information provided about what Rogue One‘s initial issues were remains frustratingly thin. In 2023 (via Variety), Gareth Edwards debunked claims that he was sidelined during the reshoots, stating that he and Gilroy worked closely with one another throughout. As a result of this lack of concrete information, much speculation about Rogue One‘s original production timeline remains exactly that: speculation.

That said, this speculation can be rooted in some evidence. After all, Disney’s Star Wars movies have been no stranger to tumultuous productions. Of the five movies constructed under Disney’s watch, only two of them are without backstage production issues: Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Solo: A Star Wars Story saw its original directing pair removed midway through production, again leading to extensive reshoots by Ron Howard that ballooned the budget and rendered the film Star Wars‘ biggest box office flop.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker then became somewhat of a rushed production, with original writer and director Colin Trevorrow replaced by JJ Abrams. This led the film to become a mash-up of Star Wars‘ greatest hits and course corrections from the divisive Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Therefore, while we do not know what went wrong with Rogue One specifically, it is the sad reality that this film’s troubled production was just the first of many.

Star Wars DOES Seem To Have Learned A Lesson

The Franchise Is On A More Positive Trajectory

With all of these production issues in mind, it is worth noting that Star Wars seems to have learned the right lessons from the likes of Rogue One. There are several upcoming Star Wars movies in development, the most immediate being The Mandalorian and Grogu. Thankfully, this production can only be described in one word after multiple difficult theatrical endeavors in the late-2010s: smooth. Writer-director Jon Favreau had the idea for the script as soon as The Mandalorian season 3 aired on Disney+ in 2023, leading the film to be greenlit in January 2024.

Filming then began in June 2024 and wrapped six months later in December. This gave The Mandalorian and Grogu a full 18 months to focus on post-production to meet a release date of May 22, 2026. There has not been a single report or rumor of onset issues with the movie, which certainly comes as a welcome surprise. Hopefully, this is a strong indicator that The Mandalorian and Grogu has avoided Rogue One‘s worst issues, whatever they may have been.