Gareth Edwardstook a hiatus from the director’s chair before making a comeback with his latest film,The Creator.This marks his first directorial effort since the release ofRogue One: A Star Wars Story. During the production of the film, significant reshoots led by Tony Gilroy were required, and while Edwards was present, the film’s control seemed to slip from his hands. Despite these challenges, Edwards has not ruled out the possibility of returning to franchises like Star Wars, Marvel, or DC.
In a recent interview withComicBook.com, he stressed that if he were to take on these projects, he would insist on the creative freedom and the opportunity to leave his distinctive mark on these franchises, rather than adhering to the standard, factory-like production process.
“I like franchises, obviously, or else I wouldn’t have done two of them. So there are things that I would still love to do in that arena,” Edwards explained. “If I got to do them, I only want to do them if I can use this methodology and bring this stamp to it. Because you go into a certain factory, it’s going to turn out all the other things in the factory. So, it’s like trying to escape the factory and just do it this way. If someone was willing to go, ‘Okay, here’s the IP. Here’s the franchise, but go off and do it how you do things.’ That would be probably one of the best-case scenarios, I reckon.”
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George Lucas Praised Director Gareth Edwards for His Work on Rogue One
Rogue One: A Star Wars Storyis set between the events ofEpisode IIIandEpisode IV. The film’s plot centers around a group of rebel fighters who embark on a high-stakes mission to steal the plans for the Death Star. This installment has garnered critical acclaim and is widely regarded as one of the standout entries in the franchise.Star Warscreator George Lucas personally reached out to director Gareth Edwards toconvey his admiration for the film.
The unexpected call from Lucas came during a break in Edwards' interviews. At first, he was puzzled when someone mentioned that he needed to take a break and head down the corridor. As he entered a room with a phone off the hook, the realization hit him that George Lucas was on the other end of the line. Overwhelmed with excitement and nervousness, Edwards answered the call, but in his eagerness, he mentally recorded the conversation in a somewhat distorted manner.
“We showed him around the set, he came to visit Pinewood [Studios] at one point. We had a day where we showed him everything. That just felt the most surreal thing in the world, to be showing George Lucas a Star Wars film, part of it felt wrong in that sense… I was doing interviews, and there’s this person hovering by the door, and I was like ‘What?’. And then suddenly it sort of stopped, and they said, ‘Gareth’s just gotta take a break,’ and I had no idea what was going on. And we go down the corridor, and they go, ‘George Lucas is on the phone.’ And I was like ‘What?!’.
And I suddenly got whisked into this room, and there was this phone off the hook, and I was like, ‘Hello?’. And I do this every time where I’m like, ‘Okay, everyone’s gonna ask me what he said.’ In my brain, I’m grabbing a cassette tape, I’m putting it in and hitting record, ‘Remember this, remember this!’. And I’m so in awe that it’s George… he was highly complemental, he was very kind, but I played the tape back, and it was like [noises].”
It’s uncertainwhether Edwards will return toStar Warsin the future. However, his most recent film,The Creator, is set to hit theaters starting today.
