STAR WARS: ROGUE ONE Writer Gary Whitta Talks Working in a Galaxy Far, Far Away



In the coming month or two, STAR WARS: ROGUE ONE will reportedly begin filming in the U.K. Directed by Gareth Edwards (Godzilla) and written by Gary Whitta, the first STAR WARS ANTHOLOGY movie will be a heist film about the Rebels who stole the plans for the first Death Star.

Speaking with Blastr, via SlashFilm, Whitta talked about landing the gig.

"...[When Disney bought Lucasfilm] Star Wars was basically coming back in a big way. I was so excited, I instantly emailed my agent, saying, 'I know there’s probably a hundred writers who are better placed, but the 10-year-old kid in me would kill me if I didn’t at least try to throw my hat in the ring for one of these films.' I never really expected anything to come out of it. But I was on the list of writers they wanted to meet. Lucasfilm approached me at what kind of seemed like a general meeting. Then they offered me this job.

"I had no idea it was going to be a movie, I just thought it would be a videogame or a novelization, or something. With my status as a writer, I never thought I would get something as high-profile as a [Star Wars] movie. It turned out to be the first of what’s known as the anthology films, the kind of the standalone films that will appear between the episodic the saga movies. 
"I’m still pinching myself that I got to work on it. It’s just been an amazing experience."

Whitta then spoke about working with Edwards on developing Rogue One.

"I spent the best part of a year on the script working very closely with Gareth Edwards, who’s directing it. He’s one of the smartest filmmakers I ever met and also one of the few people I’ve ever met who’s an even bigger Star Wars fan than I am. I think he would rather die than not get to film right. He’s so committed to making a Star Wars film that everyone can look at and feel that honors the legacy of [the Star Wars] films."

STAR WARS: ROGUE ONE releases on December 16, 2016.

To read the full interview on Blastr, click here.