Rogue: One A Star Wars Story was well-received upon its release, but the film's tumultuous production resulted in rumors about an alternate cut of the film existing. Andor series creator Tony Gilroy, who played a key behind-the-scenes role in Rogue One, has now shut down those rumors.
Rogue One trailers and TV spots included notable footage not featured in the Star Wars film's 2016 theatrical cut. Because Gilroy was brought on board to punch up writer Gary Whitta's script and oversee five weeks' worth of Rogue One reshoots, taking over from director Gareth Edwards, fans assumed the lost footage was part of Edwards' original cut. While some fans believe a Rogue One director's cut needs to be released, Gilroy's latest comments suggest that isn't happening.
During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Gilroy was asked if a better Rogue One cut exists and if it could be released. "Uh, no. That was the absolute best possible version you could ever have. Oh my God. No. No," Gilroy said in response. Gilroy declined to provide more details when asked, but he assured Star Wars fans that the theatrical cut is the best version of Rogue One. “But the more authority that you hear people talk about online about what happened on that movie, the less they know. That’s all that needs to be said. Maybe someday … but no. That’s the absolute best version of that movie that you could possibly imagine in the time that was given.”
While Gilroy insists the theatrical cut of Rogue One is the best possible version, he did not deny any other alternate cut was noticeably different. Scenes added during Rogue One reshoots reportedly included Darth Vader's iconic hallway scene at the end and sequences that fleshed out Diego Luna's Cassian Andor and Riz Ahmed's Bodhi Rook. However, because Rogue One's ending with the main heroes dying in the battle Scarif was reportedly settled before filming started, there probably isn't an alternate ending with any of those characters surviving. There was a version of the script where Jyn and Cassian survived. However, it was written in case Disney and Lucasfilm opposed the darker ending, but it was never shot.
While some fans may wonder what Rogue One was like with the deleted footage, Gilroy's changes seem to have been for the better. Some fans argue Andor proves Rogue One could have better had Gilroy built the latter from the ground up, but audiences will never know.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is available on Disney Plus.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter