Gareth Edwards, director of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, has officially closed the door on returning to the galaxy far, far away. In a recent interview with Business Insider, Edwards said he has no interest in making another Star Wars movie and is “very happy to move on and do [his] thing.”
That might surprise some fans, especially considering Rogue One is widely considered one of the strongest entries in Disney’s Star Wars era. The 2016 prequel followed a group of rebels on a mission to steal the Death Star plans, starring Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk, and Forest Whitaker. It grossed over $1 billion worldwide and sparked the acclaimed Disney+ spinoff Andor, which deepened the film’s legacy even further.
The Death Star fires in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – Disney+
Still, Edwards isn’t interested in revisiting that universe.
“I’m very happy to move on and do my thing,” he said.
When Business Insider cited Rogue One as the best Star Wars film of the Disney era, Edwards replied humbly.
“I don’t agree with it, but I appreciate it,” he said. “I’m very grateful that people say nice things.”
Cassian Andor in the trailer for Andor Season 1 – YouTube, Star Wars
Edwards emphasized that the real reward of filmmaking is long-term audience appreciation—not the immediate reception.
“It’s not about how people feel the day it gets released, it’s how people feel about it 10, 20 years from now,” he stated. “It’s the kid who comes up to you 20 years from now and goes, ‘Oh my God, I loved that movie!’ I think that’s the reward.”
The Tony Gilroy Controversy
While Rogue One was a massive success, its production was famously tumultuous. Reports swirled that Lucasfilm sidelined Edwards during post-production, bringing in Tony Gilroy to write new dialogue and direct major reshoots—something many fans believe reshaped the movie significantly. Gilroy later became the showrunner for Andor, further fueling speculation that he was the real creative force behind the film’s success.
Edwards has long disputed the narrative that he was pushed aside. In a 2023 interview with KCRW’s The Business, he pushed back on the rumors.
(L-R): Tony Gilroy and Diego Luna on the set of Lucasfilm’s ANDOR, exclusively on Disney+. ©2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
“The stuff that’s out there on the internet about what happened on that film — there is so much inaccuracy,” he said. “Tony [Gilroy] came in, and he did a lot of great work, for sure. No doubt about it. But we all worked together until the entire last minute of that movie.”
He also downplayed any grievances he might have had with the experience, which rings a bit differently after stating he’d never make another Star Wars film again.
“I got to make a Star Wars film,” he said. “I won the lottery, in that sense… I don’t have any empathy for [the version of] me that would complain about it, and I don’t want to be that person either.”
Moving On to Dinosaurs
Edwards is now helming Jurassic World Rebirth, the next installment in Universal’s dino franchise, which hits theaters July 2. It seems he’s traded X-Wings and stormtroopers for velociraptors and chaotic science—and he sounds perfectly content with that choice.
Darth Vader in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – Disney+
Whether fans agree that Rogue One is the best of the Disney-era Star Wars films or not, it’s clear that Gareth Edwards has no plans to revisit the franchise. For him, the Force is in the past.
How do you feel about the Rogue One director never making another Star Wars film? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
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He could sell out, but… He presumably knows he’ll be forced to make a woke movie, and, this would be STRESSFUL.
The only reason Rogue One is liked is because it’s the least worst movie from Disney. It’s still a boring girlboss story with no interesting characters.