Via Starwars.com:
ALL THE BIGGEST NEWS AND HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY PANEL IN LONDON!
The filmmakers and cast behind the upcoming Rogue One: A Star Wars Story came together tonight — in a special panel hosted by Gwendoline Christie — at Star Wars Celebration Europe 2016. They talked about their characters, their experiences making the movie, and much, much more. Here are 15 of the biggest insights, highlights, and surprises from the panel.
1. Rogue One will look and feel unique from all other films set in a galaxy far, far away. “It’s a style that is unlike any other Star Wars movie,” Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said. She recounted seeing director Gareth Edwards, camera on his shoulder, testing shots guerilla-style as sign that this movie would be different. “I think that’s what’s so amazing about his style,” she said. “This is going to be an incredibly immersive experience when you see Rogue One.”
2. Gareth Edwards was star struck when he met a certain Jedi. “It’s just been the most insane, most surreal experience,” Edwards said. One day, someone nudged him and asked, “Do you want to meet Luke Skywalker?” Mark Hamill was visiting the set and wearing a Godzilla tee shirt; Edwards had directed 2014’s Godzilla. “I don’t know what I said to him,” Edwards said. But he had one thought: “Please Lord, somebody be taking a photograph of this.” Later, Edwards revealed that one George Lucas also paid a visit. “None of this would be happening if not for George Lucas,” he said. “The guy’s a genius.”
3. The concept for the film — the Rebels’ theft of the Death Star plans — dates back to the once-planned live-action Star Wars TV show, discussed around 13 years ago. The idea came from John Knoll, digital effects innovator at Industrial Light & Magic, who thought a Mission Impossible-style mission would be a good fit for the show. He dropped the idea, however, when he heard the timeline for the series, which wouldn’t fit with a pre-A New Hope story. But when they announced the standalone series, Knoll recalled his story. “I was thinking, ‘That original idea could make a good standalone film,’” he said. The more people he told the idea, the more he was encouraged to formally pitch it. Finally, he did, and the rest is Star Wars history. Knoll thought, “If I don’t [pitch], I’ll always wonder what might’ve happened if I had.”
4. Prepare to visit the sunny beaches of Scarif — that’s the beach world seen in the teaser. And shooting in such a real-world location was (not) hard for everyone. “Just so happens it was set in paradise,” Edwards said. “So we had to go to paradise to film it.”
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