Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was hailed as one of the franchise's best movies and biggest surprises when it opened in 2016. Its success pointed to Lucasfilm's plans for a slate of "A Star Wars Story" spin-offs being a win for the studio; instead, Solo underperformed two years later, and the concept was scrapped.
Still, the love for the movie has only increased since the release of the prequel series Andor on Disney+. Despite that, director Gareth Edwards isn't looking to use the show's momentum—which he had no involvement with—to mount a comeback on the Galaxy Far, Far Away.
"I'm very happy to move on and do my thing," Edwards told Business Insider (via SFFGazette.com) while promoting Jurassic World: Rebirth. "[Star Wars is] the thing that was in my life before I knew what a film was. It's like your mom, it's like something that's a part of you. I'm always fascinated by what they're doing. I never stop loving that trilogy."
When it was put to him that many fans view Rogue One as the best Star Wars movie from the Disney era, Edwards responded, "I don't agree with it, but I appreciate it. I'm very grateful that people say nice things."
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was a critical and commercial hit, though it's since been reported that eventual Andor showrunner Tony Gilroy was brought in to take charge of extensive reshoots, largely designed to reshape the final act.
Edwards remained involved (he filmed that epic Darth Vader sequence, for example), but we know the 2016 movie underwent some major changes, hence why several scenes from the trailers - like Orson Krennic piloting a TIE Fighter to take down Jyn Erso - were absent.
The filmmaker doesn't appear to have any hard feelings, anyway. That's evident from how he looks back at Rogue One's legacy all these years later. "What you have to keep in your pocket as you go through making other films, is that it's not about how people feel the day it gets released, it's how people feel about it 10, 20 years from now."
"When you make a movie, you're living at least a year from now, you're trying to imagine what it's like, all these decisions you're making, what they are going to be like a year from now when this movie is released, what's the audience going to think?"
"And as the movie comes out, you go, 'I'm going to pretend I'm living 10 years from now, and it doesn't matter what people say in the moment,'" Edwards continued. "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."
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