Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

[JOE SOAP]

Some people have a bad feeling about Rogue One.

[Professor Bear]

Audiences didn't give a shit about The Force Awakens' shortcomings.  Rogue One will be fine.

[Michael Knight]

agreed! all will be fine! Star Wars survived the Phantom Menace! It will survive this!

[radiator]

Some people have a bad feeling about Rogue One.

There's been rumblings about this for a long time. I remember hearing about Chris McQuarrie being drafted in for emergency rewrites - to 'save' the script/story in a World War Z type situation - a while back, but the news didn't seem to get picked up by many outlets.

Beats me why they're (apparently) finding this such a tough nut to crack - it basically sounds like it should be a fairly formulaic heist/action movie with added TIE Fighters and blasters. Should be a home run... Maybe they feel that it's not enough of a crowdpleaser in its current shape, and they're going to shoehorn in a load of jokey moments a la Thor 2?

[Professor Bear]

If I had to guess, it's because of the characters being unlikable.  It's a common thing in modern media that writers aim for "jaded" but just end up with "prick."

[Steve Green]

Ant-man again.

[IAMTHESYSTEM]

Some people have a bad feeling about Rogue One.

There's been rumblings about this for a long time. I remember hearing about Chris McQuarrie being drafted in for emergency rewrites - to 'save' the script/story in a World War Z type situation - a while back, but the news didn't seem to get picked up by many outlets.
Beats me why they're (apparently) finding this such a tough nut to crack - it basically sounds like it should be a fairly formulaic heist/action movie with added TIE Fighters and blasters. Should be a home run... Maybe they feel that it's not enough of a crowdpleaser in its current shape, and they're going to shoehorn in a load of jokey moments a la Thor 2?

Seems a fairly straight forward idea- the dirty half dozen in space raid the Empire for the Death Star plans. It almost tells itself. Perhaps having intergalactic crooks who aren't Han Solo might be off putting to some people. 'Rebel' can occasionally come across as a crass individualist rather than someone fighting collectively to thwart evil but we're outside whats happening here, trying to read the tea leaves over this event. The evil Empire of Disney must have noticed something they felt was wrong and if audience test were disappointing then something is off center. Give it to some twoothy writers Disney. They'll get it up to speed !

[Professor Bear]

Everyone keeps saying this is a heist movie, but doesn't the original film state that the plans were stolen by spies during a battle against the Empire?  The Dirty Dozen/heist stuff makes events sound more premeditated than the original story suggested.

[TordelBack]

I'm intrigued by the shift in tone over the past year. When first announced the vibe was that this was going to be Star Wars' gritty military movie, Saving Private Ryan, Zero Dark Thirty and Black Hawk Down all rolled into one grubby white armoured shell. With each spurt of info it seems to be shifting further into the kid-friendly caper zone (you don't hear me complaining). My guess would be rewrires and reshoots are continuing this trajectory.

Anyhow, so far the trails haven't inspired me: a Star Destroyer collision alarm instead of a BRAAAM horn isn't quite enough to get me excited, Captain. But maybe they haven't had time for anything else.

[Steve Green]

It would have been a bit crazy to have a vastly different tone in the sequel to a film restarting the film franchise.

[GordonR]

If you've ever read any of the Republic Commando SW novels, you'll quickly realise how little the grim'n'gritty hardcore military style of story suits the Star Wars universe.

[radiator]

Everyone keeps saying this is a heist movie, but doesn't the original film state that the plans were stolen by spies during a battle against the Empire?  The Dirty Dozen/heist stuff makes events sound more premeditated than the original story suggested.

'Battle' is vague enough to suggest any number of events - much like 'Your father was a great pilot' = podracing. I fully expect that they're going for a Star Wars themed Dirty Dozen with this.

Seems very straightforward to me -

1. Establish the plucky heroine, her personal motivation and outline the broader stakes of the mission at hand
2. Cut to humourous montage of recruiting/training the rag tag, broadly archetypal team of soldiers
3. The team's first mission is a failure, sowing seeds of doubt in the whole enterprise. Stakes raised, maybe the heroine's mentor figure dies or something. Just when the heroine is about to quit and walk away, a glimmer of hope is rekindled. Set up third act twist.
4. The final mission - cue some noble sacrifices, surprise cameos from established SW characters and an unexpected betrayal of the group by one or more of its members (who, in a suspension of disbelief-stretching twist, is revealed to have been a double agent the whole time). Third act plot twist - [spoiler]"Darth Vader is here!"[/spoiler]. All seems lost.
5. Victory from the jaws of defeat. Credits.

Seems like the sort of thing any journeyman writer could dust off in an afternoon, but here we are, three big name screenwriters later. I can imagine, given the critical response to Monsters and Godzilla (2014), that the problems are probably character related.

[TordelBack]

If you've ever read any of the Republic Commando SW novels, you'll quickly realise how little the grim'n'gritty hardcore military style of story suits the Star Wars universe.

Testify.

If this is as it appears, a sharply written family-friendly Dirty Dozen or even Ocean's 11 with AT-ATs, it will suit me grand. I live in dread of SW movies going grimdark. RotS already went too far, IMHO. Luke's Dad murdering children out of the blue and Ben watching his 'brother' slowly burn to death while filching his gear... not necessary.

In the positive column, Disney are many things, but they aren't stupid.

[Misanthrope]

Everyone keeps saying this is a heist movie, but doesn't the original film state that the plans were stolen by spies during a battle against the Empire?

That was RotJ.

[JOE SOAP]

If you've ever read any of the Republic Commando SW novels, you'll quickly realise how little the grim'n'gritty hardcore military style of story suits the Star Wars universe.

I'd settle for the Star Wars version of Kelly's Heroes.