Ben Mendelsohn says Rogue One will be a “A Truly Great Star Wars Story”

rogue one 03Much of the lasting appeal of the Star Wars saga is drawn from its central conflict. You are drawn in by watching the rebels or Jedi fight against an evil opponent. You witness the drama in the struggle against the oppression of the Empire in its many various forms. Much of the reason that struggle is so engaging is the appeal of the Star Wars Villain. Vader, Tarkin, Maul, Palpatine, Ren, and hopefully soon…Krennic. While we wait another five months to find out just where the Director will fall in the annals of Star Wars villains, it is promising to hear that the actor who portrays him has quite a bit of enthusiasm for the film and the universe in which it takes place.

 

 

SciFiNow has a great interview up today with Ben Mendelsohn in which he discusses playing dark characters, his love of Star Wars, and his respect for Gareth Edwards. But most importantly Mendelsohn discusses his thoughts on Rogue One as a movie, even if he must remain vague or risk being thrown in isolation by Lucasfilm until the movie is released.
Mendelsohn on Rogue One:

“I can’t tell you anything other than to say, of course, that it is very firmly in the canon of the entirety of the Star Wars films and that it will make great sense to anyone that has experience it. And it’s a great story. It is a great Star Wars Story. It is a truly great Star Wars Story”

rogue one 15

 

Effusive praise is always is always a good thing. But coming from an actor, you never know what context that may be in. So, is Mendelsohn a true Star Wars fan?

“In 1977 I was there at the cinema. I was there with Bells on! Do you remember the bubblegum cards? I had all the Star Wars bubblegum cards. I was a deep Star Wars tragic. I just absolutely adored it. And I still absolutely adore it. It’s pretty awesome to be a part of this. It was very unexpected and it was a great honour. And I hope we deliver in full”

 

So, it does sound like Mendelsohn was a true fan going way back to the original 1977 release. But what about the new film’s director? Mendelsohn’s thoughts on Edwards:

“I’m a big fan of Gareth Edwards. I think Monsters is a beautiful film. I adored Monsters. It was made with my good friend Scoot McNairy and his lovely wife, Whitney. Gareth is an incredibly generous director. His technical knowledge is freakish. What he was able to do with the CGI world with Monsters with a very small budget was absolutely remarkable, and I think that Gareth has a great desire to bring this large and complex world [of Star Wars] to the screen, so I was absolutely floored to be asked.”

Rogue One 14

 

So, there you have Ben Mendelsohn, one of the more critical players in the upcoming Rogue One speaking its praises. A good sign to say the least. Hopefully we’ll see more of Ben as Director Krennic before Celebration wraps up this weekend.

Head over to SciFiNow for the full interview where Mendelsohn discusses wanting to be Chewbacca as a kid, playing dark villains, and getting into his Imperial Uniform for the first time.

 

 

P.S. Congratulations to Ben Mendelsohn for his Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor, Drama in Bloodline!

 

+ posts

52 thoughts on “Ben Mendelsohn says Rogue One will be a “A Truly Great Star Wars Story”

  • July 14, 2016 at 6:38 pm
    Permalink

    Sounds like a little puppy, or Spielberg (can we call him a Cocker Spielberg?) Just “so excited to be here” and “everyone is great I love everyone they’re all so nice and talented”!

    • July 14, 2016 at 7:04 pm
      Permalink

      Couldn’t resist putting a picture of my dog up to go with this!!

  • July 14, 2016 at 6:57 pm
    Permalink

    It’s following the promotional trend as TFA:
    Brag about how great it is, compare it to A New Hope, and don’t even dare mention the prequels.

    It wasn’t like Ben was going to say it’s a bad movie. PR stuff.

    • July 14, 2016 at 8:24 pm
      Permalink

      That’s fair enough, but this is where tact comes in. I’d prefer a “We’re very excited for the fans to see what we’ve made here” as opposed to “This is great! Really! Trust me, I’m a Star Wars fan like you! TRUST ME!!”

    • July 14, 2016 at 9:41 pm
      Permalink

      ““I can’t tell you anything other than to say, of course, that it is very
      firmly in the canon of the entirety of the Star Wars films…”

      Prequels implied.

    • July 15, 2016 at 2:49 am
      Permalink

      I don’t know why people are acting like a bunch of baboons when they read this PART of the article, his comments on what Star Wars meant to him growing up is where the treasure lies.

  • July 14, 2016 at 6:57 pm
    Permalink

    So many things out there in the world to be pessimistic about, Star Wars isn’t one of them. I expect that everyone involved in making these films is pouring everything they have into making them the best films they can be. Rogue One will very likely take its place among the seven episodic films as another great Star Wars film. I’ll take Ben Mendelsohn’s word over random internet commenter any day of the week.

  • July 14, 2016 at 7:00 pm
    Permalink

    I hope its truly great, but its not surprising he’s bragging it up, not like he’s going to turn around and say is an ok story…….

  • July 14, 2016 at 7:01 pm
    Permalink

    I’m awaiting the day a major actor says about the film he’s starring in that it’s horrible, evryone on the cast and crew was untalented and stupid, and such.

    • July 14, 2016 at 8:27 pm
      Permalink

      Harrison Ford said it about Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Apparently, he fucking hated working with Shia LeBeouf.

      • July 14, 2016 at 9:25 pm
        Permalink

        before or after the film’s release?

      • July 14, 2016 at 11:52 pm
        Permalink

        Yeah….that never happened.

    • July 15, 2016 at 3:44 am
      Permalink

      John Boyega said after watching Episode 7 that he wasn’t sure if fans were going to like it. Then once the hype struck everyone, that was that.

      • July 15, 2016 at 11:40 am
        Permalink

        oh… i remember that

  • July 14, 2016 at 7:13 pm
    Permalink

    Actually, it happens all the time. They don’t come out and say it in interviews, but when actors have been known to make their concerns known throughout a bad production. Sometimes, they’re part of the problem. #balesalvation

  • July 14, 2016 at 8:19 pm
    Permalink

    “So, there you have Ben Mendelsohn, one of the more critical players in
    the upcoming Rogue One speaking its praises. A good sign to say the
    least”

    Ya know, it’s funny. I was expecting all the actors to come out and tell us it’s a load of crap…..

    • July 14, 2016 at 8:26 pm
      Permalink

      Yeah, no doubt, and that’s an obvious one. SWNN posting an article about actor praise as if it’s totally from their heart.

  • July 14, 2016 at 8:29 pm
    Permalink

    I remember the bubblegum cards. Damn fine bubblegum.

    • July 14, 2016 at 11:51 pm
      Permalink

      Yummy, yummy, crunchy bubblegum.

  • July 14, 2016 at 9:59 pm
    Permalink

    Guy in movie says movie he is in will be great.

    Like what else is supposed to say?

    I think this movie will be good, but not because Ben Mendelsohn said so.

  • July 14, 2016 at 10:05 pm
    Permalink

    I don’t get it. No news, people freak. News about reshoots, people freak. Actors say the film is good, people freak. What will it take for you to be happy? This internet culture of doing nothing but complaining is getting tiresome. If you don’t want to see the movie, don’t. If you hate Disney, don’t give them your money. It’s not hard. The comment sections on these stories are becoming cess pits.

    • July 14, 2016 at 10:37 pm
      Permalink

      People like you are a rare sight these days. a true internet unicorn 🙂

      • July 14, 2016 at 11:50 pm
        Permalink

        Horny?

        • July 15, 2016 at 12:46 am
          Permalink

          Don’t worry, you are clearly none of them. In the fantasyland internet you are just an ordinary troll 😉

          • July 15, 2016 at 12:49 am
            Permalink

            Go paint a happy little tree. In your pants.

    • July 14, 2016 at 11:17 pm
      Permalink

      I like you.

    • July 14, 2016 at 11:21 pm
      Permalink

      I’m excited for the movie. It’s a good time to be a Star Wars fan.

      • July 15, 2016 at 12:51 am
        Permalink

        Truth be told? More than for E8.

        • July 15, 2016 at 12:58 am
          Permalink

          Honestly, when they announced it at CVII last year, I became more excited for Rogue One that EP VII. It’s a fun era to play around in.

          • July 15, 2016 at 1:28 am
            Permalink

            That’s what I’m saying too – the era is ripe for storytelling, and just as importantly, the fact that these stand-alone movies are not part of the freight train of episodes means they have opportunities to try some interesting things.

    • July 15, 2016 at 2:58 am
      Permalink

      Oh shut up

      • July 15, 2016 at 5:50 am
        Permalink

        Exactly….

  • July 14, 2016 at 10:38 pm
    Permalink

    Does anyone expect him to say the movie is terrible? No! Of course not.

  • July 14, 2016 at 10:58 pm
    Permalink

    “So, is Mendelsohn a true Star Wars fan?”

    I hate this question so much. So what? What if he wasn’t? What then? Boycott the movie? Trash the character? Only with Star Wars is this type of question ever asked.

    • July 14, 2016 at 11:13 pm
      Permalink

      If If he is a fan, it’s a bonus. If he weren’t, no big deal. Speaking for myself, it’s not a qualifier for participation in a star wars film.

    • July 14, 2016 at 11:20 pm
      Permalink

      sometimes it is better if they are not fans and let their imagination take over. I don’t think Lupita even saw the originals.

      • July 14, 2016 at 11:50 pm
        Permalink

        And what a fantastic character that was. More compelling example would be HF, who doesn’t care for SciFi, and seems pretty bemused by the insane popularity of the thing.

    • July 15, 2016 at 2:57 am
      Permalink

      Everyone is a SW fan if you asked them. He doesn’t want to sound like he’s in a big budget movie only for the money but rather because the franchise is dear to him. Felicity Jones is a SW fan too, even Yip Man, even though he never seen it, but h e loves it, trust me

  • July 14, 2016 at 11:04 pm
    Permalink

    It’s not just the fact he endorses the film (of course he does), it’s the fact that he’s a Star Wars fan that I like. A “deep Star Wars tragic” – love it! He’s going to steal the show for the bad guys guys in guys in this film, I think.

  • July 14, 2016 at 11:04 pm
    Permalink

    It’s not just the fact he endorses the film (of course he does), it’s the fact that he’s a Star Wars fan that I like. A “deep Star Wars tragic” – love it! He’s going to steal the show for the bad guys guys in guys in this film, I think.

  • July 14, 2016 at 11:05 pm
    Permalink

    Hey guy, wanna hear something cool?

    Yeah sure

    Okay so, this actor guy said the movie he’s in will be great!

    Oh wow man, that’s total hype huh?

    YEAHHH!! WOOO!!1!! HYPEEE.

  • July 14, 2016 at 11:09 pm
    Permalink

    Hey guy, wanna hear something cool?

    Yeah sure

    Okay so, this actor guy said the movie he’s in will be great! Isn’t that total hype?!!!

    …..

  • July 14, 2016 at 11:28 pm
    Permalink

    I like to read into what the actors say and although they will all be positive, there are items to glean from their enthusiasm and choice of words.

    Personally, from the interview I read, I am not certain he has even seen the film. He seemed to be speaking of the script and directors talent. I would not be the least bit surprised if he has not seen it yet.

    • July 14, 2016 at 11:31 pm
      Permalink

      That is normal though.

    • July 15, 2016 at 2:54 am
      Permalink

      Depends on the actor. Harrison Ford praised the “fantastic script” of Force Awakens, he didn’t hold compliments, he’s a car salesman, I have no respect for this guy. On the other hand Mark Hamill would talk about the actors rather than the film itself, he compared it to Transformers.

  • July 15, 2016 at 2:48 am
    Permalink

    Waiting for the trailer to drop is going to be the death of me…

  • July 15, 2016 at 2:52 am
    Permalink

    WOW HE’S PRAISING THE MOVIE HE’S PLAYING IN, SHOCKER!

    • July 15, 2016 at 2:59 am
      Permalink

      WOW, ANOTHER USELESS COMMENT.

      • July 15, 2016 at 3:00 am
        Permalink

        Yeah. Shocker.

        • July 15, 2016 at 8:12 am
          Permalink

          And yet you all continue to give him EXACTLY what he craves.

          • July 15, 2016 at 9:02 am
            Permalink

            or her

          • July 16, 2016 at 12:02 am
            Permalink

            Fair enough. Or her.

Comments are closed.

LATEST POSTS ON MOVIE NEWS NET