The Star Wars franchise has never shied away from including a ton of awesome cameos in its films. From George Lucas and his son appearing in the prequel trilogy, to hidden gems like Simon Pegg and Daniel Craig in The Force Awakens, Star Wars has simply become a cultural institution that attracts familiar faces. Now it seems that Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is no different. We've just learned that Dermot Mulroney had a secret hand in the film's production by contributing to its score.
A report from The Los Angeles Times confirms that Dermot Mulroney contributed to the musical score for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Although he's best known for his acting work in motion pictures such as My Best Friend's Wedding, The Wedding Date, and Insidious: Chapter 3, Mulroney has actually been a musician longer than an actor, and he has been a frequent collaborator with Rogue One composer Michael Giacchino for years. He has been featured on a number of Giacchino's movie scores over the years -- such as Mission: Impossible and Star Trek -- so the new Star Wars composer brought the actor in to provide his cello chops for the Rogue One soundtrack.
Aside from Dermot Mulroney's involvement in Rogue One's production, the film's musical score has seen a number of fascinating and tumultuous developments over the course of its existence. When it was revealed that John Williams would not return to score the first standalone Star Wars movie, the film initially brought Alexandre Desplat (the composer responsible for the music heard in movies like Argo, as well as Grand Budapest Hotel) on-board to score the eighth Star Wars film. However, Desplat eventually departed the project after a series of scheduling conflicts brought on by Rogue One's extensive reshoots, resulting in Michael Giacchino's last minute hire. Although he had very little time to finalize his work on Rogue One's score, we have to say that Giacchino definitely pulled it off with Mulroney's help -- not to mention the countless other musicians who contributed to the orchestral musical accompaniment,
Of course, while you could obviously read about this all day, the true joy comes from actually listening to the music in action. Check out a sample from the Rogue One score below to hear some of Michael Giacchino's best work:
Although Dermot Mulroney doesn't actually appear on screen at any point during the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, we're left wondering whether or not this newfound relationship with Lucasfilm and Disney will lead to a role in a future movie. Anything is possible, so we will keep our fingers crossed for him.
CinemaBlend will bring you any and all relevant updates related to the latest installment in the Star Wars saga as new details become available to us. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is currently in theaters (and making an absolute killing at the box office) so make sure to check it out!
