Gareth Edwards: I'm very happy to move on from Star Wars

Perth Now

14 hours ago

Gareth Edwards was "very happy to move on" from the Star Wars franchise.
The 50-year-old filmmaker helmed 2016's Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, but Gareth doesn't have any intention of returning to the sci-fi franchise.
Asked if he'd ever make another Star Wars movie, Gareth told Business Insider: "I'm very happy to move on and do my thing."
Despite this, Gareth remains a huge fan of the Star Wars movies.
He said: "It's 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."
Fan sentiment towards Rogue One has become kinder in recent years. But Gareth has downplayed the suggestion that his movie - which starred the likes of Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Mads Mikkelsen, and Forest Whitaker - is the best Star Wars film since Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2012.
The director said: "I don't agree with it, but I appreciate it. I'm very grateful that people say nice things."
Gareth has encouraged cinemagoers to judge movies over a long period of time, rather than jumping to conclusions.
The filmmaker shared: "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 ten years from now, and it doesn't matter what people say in the moment.' 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."
Meanwhile, Gareth previously hailed Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope as the movie that changed his life.
The director admitted to being obsessed with the film during his younger years.
He told the Guardian newspaper: "I don't remember exactly when I first saw A New Hope; it's always just sort of existed for me. It's the only film that I don't remember actually sitting down to watch for the very first time.
"From the age of about six I watched it every day for at least a couple of years. I must have seen it more than 200 times. My mum remembers me quoting it word for word on long car journeys. I once did the entire script."