While James Gunn chiefly keeps busy nowadays in the comic book media space, like so many of us, he’s also a fan of the Star Wars movies and other corners of the franchise. From firing back at angry Star Wars fans months after The Last Jedi’s release to being among the celebrities who wished Mark Hamill a happy birthday in September 2021, the filmmaker is more than willing to jump into Star Wars-related discourse. Which brings us to today, with Gunn having shared his valid pick for the most underrated Star Wars movie.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story has been trending on Twitter, presumably because April 7, 2016 is when the first trailer for the A New Hope prequel premiered. Here’s what James Gunn had to say about Rogue One on his Twitter page:
I don't know why Rogue One is trending, but I'm glad it is, as it's the most underrated Star Wars anything.April 7, 2022
While Rogue One certainly isn’t on the polarizing level that The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker are among the hardcore Star Wars fans, it does sometimes feel that it’s not talked about as much as it should be. As the first live-action Star Wars movie not set within the Skywalker Saga, Rogue One took this franchise in an arguably grittier direction as it told the story of Jyn Erso leading a group of Rebels to steal the plans to the first Death Star. Its lineup of starring actors included Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk, Donnie Yen, Jiang Wen, Riz Ahmed and Forest Whitaker.
Directed by Gareth Edwards, and written by Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was primarily met with positive critical reception and made over $1 billion worldwide. Among the movie’s most praised moments was that brutal Darth Vader scene towards the end, which was a last-minute addition. That’s not to say that everyone is a Rogue One supporter; as with any Star Wars movie, if you look hard enough, you’re sure to find detractors. However, James Gunn is certainly in good company among those who consider it to be underrated.
Fortunately for Rogue One fans, specifically the ones who are also Disney+ subscribers, they’ll be reuniting with a familiar face from the 2016 movie in the near future. The Andor series will wind the clock back five years before the events of Rogue One to follow along with Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor carrying out missions for the Rebel Alliance. There’s still no word yet on when Andor will drop on Disney+, but a second season is reportedly expected to begin shooting later this year.
If you’re in the mood to rewatch Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, it can be streamed with the other Star Wars movies on Disney+. As for James Gunn, he’s still shooting both Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (which has already broken a major record) and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (a.k.a. the “greatest thing” he’s ever done). Gunn is also signed on to write and direct all of Peacemaker Season 2’s episodes for HBO Max.
