Gareth Edwards Says He’s “Happy to Move On” From STAR WARS; Doesn’t Think ROGUE ONE Is the Best of the Disney Era
Director Gareth Edwards is back in the spotlight with Jurassic World Rebirth, but naturally, questions about his time in the Star Wars galaxy still follow. While Rogue One has earned praise from fans and critics alike, and has seen renewed appreciation thanks to the Andor prequel series, Edwards himself isn’t exactly clinging to the franchise.
Speaking with GamesRadar+, Edwards made it clear that he’s moved on:
“I mean, I'm just eternally relieved that I don't walk across the street and people don't shout that I ruined their childhood.”
But while Rogue One has been held up by many as the best Star Wars film of the Disney era, Edwards doesn’t share that sentiment. In fact, he says:
“I don’t agree with that. I appreciate people saying that, and I get why they say that, but I’m happy to move on.”
For Edwards, it seems the legacy of Rogue One isn't something he’s interested in staking his career on. Instead, he’s focused on the long game, citing the arc of filmmakers like John Carpenter as inspiration:
“I've always felt – and I don't hold any of my films in high regard like this – but I do think that, really, the test of a movie is how it's viewed, 10, 20 years later… I look at a lot of my heroes, and they would tell stories, and it seems unbelievable, like I was reading the other day about John Carpenter and The Thing, and how it flopped, and how he couldn't work for a while, and things like this.
And you go, 'What, after The Thing?' Like, that's a masterpiece. It doesn't make any sense whatsoever, but he obviously rode that roller coaster a little bit. And so it teaches you as a filmmaker, don't ride the roller coaster, play the long-term game. It's all about how people feel towards the end of your career, really, and so just hold on to that.”
With Jurassic World Rebirth set to hit theaters on July 2, Edwards is back in blockbuster territory, but he seems far more interested in what the future holds than rehashing the past.