Adding on to the legacy of any long standing franchise is dangerous enough under normal circumstances. And yet, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story not only exists to do just that, it does so after a trilogy of prequel films that expanded the Star Wars universe, much to the chagrin of fans who weren't fans of their content. Thankfully, the reactions to the Rogue One footage screened for the press this weekend has been overwhelmingly positive. Not only is this wave of praise not lost on director Gareth Edwards, he feels it's a good sign of things to come.
During the press event held at Skywalker Ranch yesterday, ComicBook.com landed a couple of moments with Edwards in the afterglow of the 25 minute sneak peek that was given to the movie press. His reaction to the crowds reaction was, as follows:
It feels good, and it's a relief. Because I feel like the best is yet to come.
That is some pretty big talk considering the checkered production history that Rogue One: A Star Wars Story has taken to get to where it is today. With highly publicized reshoots and retooling ruling the news coverage, there was some doubt as to whether this first Star Wars spin-off would vindicate or doom the experiment in extending the existing universe outside of the series proper. But with the positive endorsements of many, including our own Eric Eisenberg, it looks like Edwards' bullish nature towards the future of the Star Wars Stories is in good standing.
As far as the public is concerned, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story couldn't happen soon enough. With the highest first day ticket pre-sales of 2016, as well as the second highest pre-sales of all time on Fandango, there's no shortage of Star Wars faithfuls to fill the seats on December 15th, when the film makes its early screening debut. Will the response be as good as Gareth Edwards hopes it will be? That is left to be seen, as critics and audiences don't always overlap in their praises for certain properties. One thing is certain though, a lot of eyes will be on that galaxy far, far away, just to see where its story is going next.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story unveils its completed vision in theaters on December 16th.
