Star Wars: Donald Trump statements not included in Rogue One

Earlier this month, the rebels of Rogue One came under fire from a different kind of dark force. Online protesters began calling for a boycott of the upcoming film, using the hashtag #DumpStarWars to criticize the Dec. 16 release for supposedly anti-Donald Trump plot points.

Now, Disney CEO Bob Iger has responded to all the controversy, telling The Hollywood Reporter, “I think the whole story has been overblown and, quite frankly, it’s silly.”

“I have no reaction to [this] story at all,” Iger continued. “Frankly, this is a film that the world should enjoy. It is not a film that is, in any way, a political film. There are no political statements in it, at all.”

The hubbub started a few weeks ago, when Rogue One writer Chris Weitz tweeted, “Please note that the Empire is a white supremacist (human) organization.” (Weitz has since deleted the tweet.) Since then, Twitter users have falsely claimed that Rogue One underwent rewrites and reshoots to add in anti-Trump messaging.

Rogue One picks up immediately before the events of the original 1977 Star Wars, chronicling one Rebel band’s attempts to take on the oppressive and fascist Empire. Felicity Jones leads the team as the rebellious Jyn Erso, joined by Diego Luna, Alan Tudyk, Donnie Yen, Jiang Wen, Forest Whitaker, and Riz Ahmed.

“[Rogue One] has one of the greatest and most diverse casts of any film we have ever made, and we are very proud of that,” Iger said. “And that is not a political statement at all.”

Rogue One opens Dec. 16