20 Things You Didn't Know About Star Wars: Rogue One

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was the first entry into Star Wars' still-developing anthology series - consisting of just Rogue One and Solo to date - and debuted to both critical and commercial success in December 2016.

It's somehow already been five (!) whole years since Rogue One hit screens, and while aspects of the sci-fi epic are certainly divisive with fans, it's overall an impressive achievement that actually does something different with the series' well-trod formula.

Especially mind-boggling is how well the end product turned out given the oft-noted production troubles, and also Star Wars' tendency to invoke the ire of its fans when it deviates from the norm.

Rogue One's production is extremely interesting for many reasons, full of fascinating tidbits from scrapped script ideas to near-miss casting choices, and yes, the ins and outs of those tricky reshoots.

Though it's easy to take Rogue One's existence for granted given that it's not a strictly "necessary" entry into the Star Wars canon, it's clear from these 20 mind-blowing factoids that a ton of blood, sweat, and tears went into its creation...

It's a foregone conclusion that the lead in any Star Wars movie will be massively sought out by even Hollywood A-listers, with the final casting choice made only after an extensive auditions process.

And though the part of Jyn Erso ultimately went to Felicity Jones, a number of acclaimed and beloved actresses were also under heavy consideration.

Rooney Mara ended up meeting with director Gareth Edwards for the part, though ultimately decided to withdraw herself before auditions due to her busy schedule.

Rooney's sister Kate Mara was also in the mix, reportedly being screen-tested for the part of Jyn, yet perhaps most enticingly of all, Orphan Black's Tatiana Maslany was screen-tested too.

It's especially easy to picture Maslany bringing her own uniquely fiery energy to the part, though Jones certainly did a solid job on her own merits.