There appears to be some controversy within the Star Wars fandom regarding directors (Comicbook). Many will remember the captivating ending to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, directed by Gareth Edwards, where Darth Vader’s heavy breathing is all that is heard from within the shadows until his red light saber reveals his image. The scene then leads to the film’s conclusion, where the beginnings of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope are implied to follow.
The controversy began when a voice actor on Star Wars Rebels, Freddie Prinze Jr., openly stated that Edwards did not direct the iconic ending to Rogue One. Instead, on the podcast Lights, Camera, Barstool, the actor claimed that Dave Filoni, a director and producer of various Star Wars media, directed the scene. Prinze Jr. states, “He directed that scene in Rogue One where – well, basically the whole end of the movie – where Vader comes through… and you see, basically… what’s gonna happen in A New Hope. He directed all that.”
Gary Whitta, credited writer on Rogue One, came to Edwards’ defense on Twitter, claiming, “Completely false. This needs to be retracted and an apology issued.” Whitta leaned into his credibility as a writer on the film to strengthen his argument amongst doubting fans.
The drama got even more interesting when Filoni discussed how he got to shadow director Rian Johnson on Star Wars: The Last Jedi with Variety. Based on his response, it almost seems that Johnson was the only director of the ones mentioned in the interview, which allowed Filoni to have a hands-on interaction with a film. Filoni recalls:
I visited J.J. [Abrams] on The Force Awakens, I visited Gareth Edwards [on Rogue One] and I visited Rian on [The Last Jedi]. But Rian was the one who shoved me up front, sticking lenses in my hand and really getting me immersed in it. And so I still talk with him to this day. He’s obviously a very talented filmmaker, and I was just very fortunate to be in such an environment where I could sit and listen and learn.
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