9 Years Later, Rogue One Actor Admits the Star Wars Movie Never Had a Completed Script

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Many fans consider Rogue One: A Star Wars Story the strongest of the Star Wars spin-off films. However, one of the actors recently revealed they didn’t even have a finished script while filming! When Disney and Lucasfilm greenlit Rogue One, the idea was to create several standalone Star Wars movies that weren’t part of the main story arcs. Rogue One went back in time, telling the story of how the Death Star plans were stolen, fitting between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. Despite the chaotic production, it became one of the most well-received Star Wars films since the original movies.

I was watching this really interesting video on Variety with Mads Mikkelsen, and he was playing a game where they’d read him movie lines and he had to guess what film they were from. It led him to reminisce about his time filming Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and he shared that the shoot was incredibly challenging. Apparently, they didn’t even have a finished script when they were filming! But surprisingly, he actually thought that lack of a complete script ended up being a good thing for the movie.

Mads Mikkelsen recalled being given the line, “It must be destroyed,” which his character, Galen Erso, says about the Death Star he designed. He explained that Galen intentionally included a weakness in the plans, allowing it to be destroyed if necessary. The scene was particularly challenging to film because it involved being drenched in water. Mikkelsen admitted the script was constantly being revised, meaning he often had to adjust his lines to match the filmmakers’ final decisions, but he didn’t see this as a problem.

Mikkelsen described the script for the film as unusually fluid for a Star Wars movie. He explained that it underwent constant revisions, with changes happening even during filming and reshoots as better ideas emerged. While this presented challenges for the younger actors who played the leads, who weren’t always sure of their characters’ motivations, Mikkelsen felt his own role had a clear purpose. Ultimately, he believes the film turned out well.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Remains the Best Star Wars Spinoff

Released in 2016, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is a film directed by Gareth Edwards. It stars Felicity Jones as Jyn, a woman recruited to steal the plans for the Death Star, alongside rebel Cassian Andor, played by Diego Luna. Mads Mikkelsen stars as Galen Erso, Jyn’s father and the engineer responsible for designing the Death Star for the Empire.

As a huge Star Wars fan, I remember there was a lot of debate when this movie was announced. It came out sandwiched between The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, and honestly, a lot of us wondered if a prequel to the original was a good idea. But it totally surprised me! It really delivered and exceeded my expectations. Critics gave it an 84% on Rotten Tomatoes, but the audience score was even higher at 87%! It was a massive box office success, clearing over a billion dollars, and got everyone really hyped about the potential for more Star Wars spinoffs. It’s a film I still enjoy revisiting.

After Solo: A Star Wars Story didn’t perform as well, Lucasfilm shifted its focus from standalone films to streaming series on Disney+. This meant Rogue One: A Star Wars Story became a unique case – a one-off success instead of the beginning of a new trend. The planned Mandalorian spin-off movie could potentially change this, but currently, Rogue One stands out as the strongest Star Wars side story in movie form.

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2025-12-22 23:41