WithRogue One: A Star Wars Storynow looming ever-closer, anticipation is quite high. And while directorGareth Edwardsrevealed last week thatGeorge Lucasvisited the set and offered him some advice, the filmmaker added this weekend that now Lucas has actually seen the movie. It’s no secret that Lucas was less-than-enthused withThe Force Awakens, specifically how his own story treatment forEpisode VIIwas discarded in favor of crafting a new story, so did he take a greater liking toRogue One? Speaking at the press conference for the film in San Francisco, for which Collider’s own Steve Weintraub was in attendance, Edwards shared Lucas’ reaction:
“So two days ago we got to show George the movie, and we all had a phone call and I got to speak with him yesterday. I don’t wanna put words into his mouth but I can honestly say that I can die happy now. He really liked the movie, so it meant a lot. To be honest, and no offense to anyone here, it was the most important review to me.”
As Edwards tells it, the circumstance surrounding how he found out what Lucas thought was rather stressful:
“We’re in the middle of doing press and you have one interview and another interview, and they suddenly said, ‘We need to take a break’ and I was like ‘Okay’ and they said, ‘No, we need to take a break.’ Then they go ‘We need to talk to you. George wants to speak to you.’ They made the call and I was like ‘Ahhh.’ And yeah, I will take that conversation to my grave. It was a real privilege. His opinion means the world to me.”
Lucas was no doubt eager to see what became ofRogue Onebecause the whole idea for the movie originated with visual effects supervisor and ILM chief creative officerJohn Knoll, who worked closely with Lucas on theStar Warsprequels. And for whatever it’s worth, it sounds like Lucas quite enjoyed what Edwards and Co. were able to put together for the first-everStar Warsspinoff film.
Luckily the rest of us plebes don’t have too long to wait asRogue Oneopens in theaters on December 16th. Check out the full press conference in the Facebook Live videos below, followed by links to our recentRogue Onecoverage.
