Star Wars: Ben Mendelsohn Calls ‘Rogue One’ Reshoots “Business As Usual”

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story went on to earn more than a billion dollars worldwide, though reports of reshoots on the film have inspired countless discussions about how the final product differed from the original script. According to star Ben Mendelsohn, the collaborative process of bringing in filmmaker Tony Gilroy to helm reshoots was nothing out of the ordinary for the business.

“It was just a case, from my point of view, that they were going to be working multiple units. [Director] Gareth [Edwards] was writing and then he would come and film some things and Tony was shooting his material,” Mendelsohn shared with The Hollywood Reporter. “To me it’s a collaborative business, and this was just business as usual, and I’m so proud of that one.”

As far as whether he was nervous or relieved by Gilroy coming in, Mendelsohn admitted, “I wasn’t either of those.”

Gilroy himself, on the other hand, claimed that the film was in much rougher shape than Mendelsohn claims it was.

“If you look at Rogue, all the difficulty with Rogue, all the confusion of it … and all the mess, and in the end when you get in there, it’s actually very, very simple to solve,” Gilroy previously shared with The Moment With Brian Koppelman podcast of approaching the film. “Because you sort of go, ‘This is a movie where, folks, just look. Everyone is going to die.’ So it’s a movie about sacrifice.”

Most new directors in the Star Wars saga have expressed their affinity for the series, though Gilroy noted it was likely his lack of interest in the films that led to a more fulfilling final product.

“I’ve never been interested in Star Wars, ever. So I had no reverence for it whatsoever. I was unafraid about that,” Gilroy confessed. “And they were in such a swamp … they were in so much terrible, terrible trouble that all you could do was improve their position.”

Mendelsohn, however, is immensely proud to have played such an integral component in Star Wars lore.

“Playing Orson Krennic in Rogue One and being able to say that I built the Death Star, who else can say that? You can’t top it,” the actor admitted.

With a live-action Rogue One prequel TV series coming to Disney+ next year, we won’t be surprised if Mendelsohn appears in it in some capacity.

What are your thoughts about Rogue One and its reshoots? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!