Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Actress Says She Spent an Entire Week Filming This One Scene

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story introduced audiences to many compelling characters in the franchise’s first spinoff from the Skywalker Saga, but the nature of the concept and its connection to the overall mythology of the galaxy far, far away meant that our Rebel heroes would have to meet their demises at the end of the journey. In one of the film’s final scenes, we see Felicity Jones‘ Jyn and Diego Luna’s Cassian embracing one another as a massive explosion barrels towards them, with Jones recently detailing that the filmmakers were so intent on capturing a specific look for the film, it took them a week to capture one shot.

“We shot it every single evening over a week to get the right light of sunset, to get the perfect pink light, so we knew that scene inside out by the end of the week,” Jones recently explained to The Hollywood Reporter. “It was just amazing to see how it morphed and shifted and changed. We shot that film in a very visceral, naturalistic, gritty way, which I think is why so many people responded to it. I think they loved that it felt so real and had elements of the ’70s Star Wars films that had that similar feeling of naturalism and reality.”

Despite how much audiences enjoyed the characters from the film, one drawback was knowing that the end of the film would bring these characters their deaths, making the notion of more spinoffs seem unlikely. Despite the unlikelihood of seeing these characters again, Disney announced that it was developing the prequel series Star Wars: Andor, focusing on the earlier adventures of the titular hero, as well as his trusty droid K-2SO.

In this regard, we can’t entirely rule out the idea of seeing more of Jyn Erso, though when she was previously asked about reprising the role, Jones noted she was more interested in the character’s future than in her past.

“I just keep saying that reincarnation is totally possible in the Star Wars universe,” Jones told The Hollywood Reporter last fall. “So, I feel there’s unfinished business for Jyn, for sure.”

She added, “I think it would be fascinating to see her getting older and wiser and fighting the dark forces in the universe, of which there are many it seems.”

Stay tuned for details on the future of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story spinoffs. Star Wars: Andor is slated to hit Disney+ next year.

Are you surprised this scene shot for so long? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!