While my opinion on the Star Wars franchise has changed throughout the era that’s seen Disney controlling the series, there are certain things I will hold fast to. One of those ever present truths is the fact that director Gareth Edwards’ entry Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is so great, it’s one of my favorite cinematic efforts in the entire canon. You’d think with such a success under his belt that Edwards wouldn’t have taken seven years to make another movie, but that’s exactly what he did before returning with his next picture, The Creator.
As it turns out, there was a pretty big reason why the man behind that midquel in a galaxy far, far away sat on the bench for almost a decade; and no it wasn’t a sentence in “director jail.” It’s kind of hard to send someone to that void when they’ve racked up two massive hits in a row; the first being 2014’s Godzilla reboot. Gareth Edwards’ exile was a personal choice tied into a specific desire for his career. As he told our sibling site SFX, it was about getting back to the basics:
I got to make a very low-budget science fiction film with Monsters, and I realized there were some serious advantages to having no money. It was kind of a shock to have all the money you could ever want, and still be limited. I felt like if I could somehow get that big bag of cash and send it back in time to me when I was making Monsters, the possibilities would have been infinite. And so, in a weird way, I was trying to find that kind of scenario again. I was as much interested in the process of how to make the film as I was the idea.
The story of Gareth Edwards’ career is an exciting one, as he first put himself on the map with his independent hit Monsters. Scoring a sleeper hit while wearing many hats on the 2010 surprise, Edwards eventually saw himself brought into the fold of both the Star Wars universe, as well as the MonsterVerse reboot kicked off with that first Godzilla story.
However, as mentioned in the interview cited above, Edwards found himself wanting to get off of the Hollywood “hamster wheel” after completing his Rogue One duties. One couldn’t blame the man for doing just that, as the complicated history of co-writer Tony Gilroy’s changes to this Star Wars midquel started to become more apparent after the picture’s 2016 release.
Even before that story became clearer, Gareth Edwards dropped out of Godzilla: King of the Monsters, which began a hiatus that felt rather similar to a Jedi going into seclusion after Order 66. Seven years later, what we know about The Creator definitely invokes the look and feel that made Rogue One: A Star Wars Story such a breath of fresh air.
You can also pick up on Edwards getting back to those basics that saw him becoming such a success in the first place. With that in mind, please enjoy the teaser trailer for The Creator, conveniently presented below for your viewing pleasure:
The Creator lets AI out of the cinematic box yet again on September 29th, with a huge IMAX release looking to boost the profile of this next adventure. As for those of you looking for another chance to experience the bittersweet joy that is Rogue One, you should use your Disney+ subscription to do so at your leisure. And may the Force be with you.