Last week, it was reported thatthe famous Darth Vader sequencefrom the final moments ofRogue One: A Star Wars Storyhad been allegedly directed byDave Filoni. After all, the source had been pretty reliable, sinceFreddie Prinze Jr.was the one who stated that theAhsokashowrunner was behind the camera for one of the film’s most memorable scenes. Prinze Jr. voiced the Jedi Kanan Jarrus over the course ofStar Wars: Rebels, an animated series focusing on the crew of theGhost, and their journey that would eventually lead them to a confrontation with the evil Grand Admiral Thrawn.
But now,Gary Whitta, the screenwriter behind the story of the 2016 spin-off,used his Twitter accountto dismiss the report, firmly confirming thatGareth Edwards, the director of the film, was the one who helmed the scene. In the sequence, a small group of Rebel soldiers are trapped in a dark hallway, with the only source of light being Darth Vader’s lightsaber. The powerful Sith slashes his way through the squadron, but a brave soldier still manages to sneak the stolen Death Star plans away from him. The file would eventually reach the hands of Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), directly jump-starting the events of the 1977 movie that spawned theStar Warsfranchise.
Whitta also referencesHal Hickel’s testimony. Hickel is a visual effects animator for Industrial Light and Magic, a company founded by George Lucas in 1975. ILM has been in charge of the visual effects for every live-actionStar Warsproject that’s been released in both theatres and television. More importantly, Hickel claims that he was on set the day the Darth Vader sequence was shot, confirming that Gareth Edwards was the filmmaker who directed the scene. With two people directly involved in the production ofRogue Onevouching for Edwards, Prinze Jr.’s claim becomes even more puzzling.
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What Filoni Is Confirmed to Be Directing inStar Wars
While the creator ofThe Bad Batchmight not have directed the Darth Vader hallway sequence, he is confirmed to be behind the camera for multiple episodes of the upcomingThe Mandalorianspin-off,Ahsoka. The new series will focus on the character who first appeared in the 2008 animated movie,The Clone Wars. After a long journey that involved leaving the Jedi Order and discovering Baby Yoda’s name is actually Grogu, Ahsoka is on a different quest, trying to find Grand Admiral Thrawn, who was apparently defeated at the end ofRebels. More information surrounding this mystery will be revealed whenAhoskapremieres on Disney+later this year.
