Theaters blazed with war, insurgent spirit, and the rebels of a ragtag crew when Rogue One: A Star Wars Story arrived. But Mads Mikkelsen's behind-the-scenes memories of filming challenges are starkly different.

What sets Mikkelsen's film apart from other Star Wars stories is its gritty tone of heroism and hope amidst darkness. While its aesthetics, narrative, and the core ethical arc of the film earned all the praise, Mikkelsen endowed his character with a haunting depth, which was not certainly very comfortable for him.

And now Mikkelsen's behind-the-scenes reflections have poured in new insights into that legendary odyssey. 

Recently, Mads Mikkelsen recounted candidly the challenges he faced while filming Rogue One. Speaking to Variety, he said that the movie's script was "surprisingly unfinished" even when they began shooting. 

Not having a finalized draft for the film made re-filming certain outdoor scenes, like when water rains down on him, particularly difficult. He said that for a franchise famous for having the most careful planning, these constant changes and no final draft came as surprises, and the story continued to develop throughout production.

"It kept changing. One would think that that was already done. I don’t think they ever locked a draft. I think they kept working on it and improvised and went back and reshot stuff and then came up with a better idea," Mikkelsen explained to Variety.

Mikkelsen stated to the outlet that he got accustomed to the narrative changing all the time and committed to his improvisations and reshoots whenever necessary. But it was more demanding for his younger co-stars. He also recalled being brutally frozen during reshooting intensive scenes with artificial rain, which required him to be soaked in ice-cold water. Despite the scripting chaos, Mikkelsen delivered an iconic performance as a conflicted scientist, which went on to bag a billion dollars on global box office. 

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Mikkelsen's filming struggles ultimately translated into a massively successful movie, which is now available for streaming.

Almost ten years ago, Rogue One, directed by Gareth Edwards, conquered cinema with its gritty prelude of the original 1977 Star Wars. It told the story of a group of rebels whose main task was to steal the Death Star plans. The film is now streaming on Disney+ in the US right beside its modern classics galore.

Mads Mikkelsen played the role of Galen Erso, the tormented scientist who was forced to assist the Empire's building of the most powerful weapon. Felicity Jones played the role of young renegade, Jyn Erso, detained for her crimes against the Empire, and Diego Luna starred as rebel captain and intelligence officer, Cassian Andor. Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Forest Whitaker, and Riz Ahmed round out the cast.

Despite the filming difficulties, the final picture was far from being a disappointment, and it went on to make $1.059 billion worldwide, earning largely favorable critical reviews. Such a fluid approach to filmmaking, though stressful, perhaps even contributed to that unique tone of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story when compared with the Star Wars universe.

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What do you think about the unfinished scripting challenges in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story? Comment your opinions below.