This 'Star Wars' Movie Scene Was Filmed In A London Subway
The majority of Star Wars movies were filmed outside of a dedicated soundstage. Tunisia was the desert of Tatooine. Redwood National Park in California was the forest of Endor. The island of Skellig Michael off the coast of Ireland was Ahch-To, the planet in Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens and Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi where the exiled Master Luke Skywalker resided. A certain Londoner was inspired by something he encountered in his daily life, and decided to use it as a set for his movie.
When the teaser trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was revealed, many astute Londoners pointed out the familiarity of the dark corridors that Jyn Erso, Cassian Andor, and K-2SO rushed through as they tried to escape the many stormtroopers milling about. Fans began tweeting and speculating as to the specific London Underground station where the scenes were shot. Some said it was North Greenwich. Others said Canada Water. Canary Wharf Station emerged as the most probable choice as it featured central escalators that many caught in the blur as Erso and Andor sped past them.
At Star Wars Celebration Europe 2016 in London, Gareth Edwards, director of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, confirmed that it was indeed Canary Wharf.
“My first job in television was just around the corner from [Canary Wharf]. I thought, this is something from the future. This is like a sci-fi-movie. If I ever get to do a sci-fi film in my life, I’m going to film it here.”
He saw something in the futuristic chrome colored interior, and glass canopies of Canary Wharf station of the London Underground. The dim light of the subway station combined with the cold metal structures perfectly created the secret facility on Scarif where the Death Star plans were kept.
To keep with the spirit of the secret facility that held the classified Death Star plans, the filming process also happened in total secrecy.
“We did this secret mission where we went to Canary Wharf one night... As soon as that thing closed at midnight, and we saw these guys in suits getting off the last train, walking past us, we darted in.”
Filming of the Scarif base scene happened in a four-hour window from midnight to 4AM when the London Underground system was closed. The set crew rushed in and added the finishing touches to transform the modern London tube station into a military base from a long long time ago in the galaxy far, far away. Actors quickly rehearsed before the actual filming began. After Edwards got what he needed that day, they took down the set decorations. The cast and crew rapidly packed up and left just in time as the first of the morning commuters filed in. Little did they know that some of the people they pushed past to get to the tube were Stormtroopers just a couple hours ago.
“As we left, they opened the door, and everyone wearing suits came in, and we were like ‘Morning, morning, morning...’ and we were desperate to tell them we shot Star Wars!”
Here are some comparison photos from Tokyo Fox.
Located in one of London’s major financial centers, Canary Wharf serves around 40 million people every year, and is the second busiest station outside Central London. It is part of the Jubilee Line extension of the London Underground, the subway system serving Greater London. Construction of the station finished at the end of the twentieth century with the station opening for service in September 1999. In addition to Rogue One, its futuristic architecture also appeared in 28 Days Later and Men In Black International.
London is a major location for many films. Harry Potter fans flocked to King’s Cross Station in search of Platform 9 3/4. Notting Hill fans visited 280 Westbourne Park Road for a glimpse at the famous blue door leading to the home of William Thacker (character played by Hugh Grant). As we add Canary Wharf to the list of filming locations to visit when we are in London, we can expect to see Star Wars fans making their way here.
Source(s): The Guardian, My London, Star Wars YouTube, Tokyo Fox