Proving it's never too early to board the hype train, Disney and Lucasfilm closed out Star Wars Celebration with a bang, giving fans a first look at the upcoming Star Wars spin-off film, Star Wars: Rogue One.
Sure, we still have over a year-and-a-half to wait for its December 2016 release, but there's a lot of anticipation surrounding the upcoming film which has Gareth Edwards (Monsters, Godzilla) on board to direct with Chris Weitz (Cinderella) writing the script. While we've heard rumors of what the film will be about in the previous months, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy and director Gareth Edwards took the stage at Star Wars Celebration to share some official details about the movie.
Star Wars: Rogue One is set between the third (Revenge of the Sith) and fourth (A New Hope) films in the core Star Wars saga, and revolves around "a rogue band of resistance fighters who unite for a daring mission to steal the Death Star plans and bring new hope to the galaxy."
A brief teaser trailer (above) along with concept art, which we've heard about in the past, was shown to the audience. Just looking at the teasers, it appears Rogue One will have a much darker tone than what we're used to seeing with Star Wars. Typically a family friendly franchise, the teasers make it look like Saving Private Ryan in space.
The only confirmed cast member for the film is Felicity Jones, who recently garnered an Oscar nomination for her role in The Theory of Everything. Jones will play a rebel soldier, Edwards confirmed, adding that her character will be a complex and fully rounded.
"We wanted to see fear, warmth, all of those aspects that everybody has," he said, adding that Jones embodies "the complete package."
You'll also notice there are no Jedi or lightsabers in the teaser photo. Edwards revealed that in Rogue One the "absence of Jedi is omnipresent." The characters in the film will realize that the "gods are not coming to save us," he said. "It comes down to a group of people who don't have magical powers who band together to bring hope to the galaxy."
I absolutely love the idea of a movie that isn't overloaded with Jedi. It's about time we focus on some other characters in this expansive universe. The core saga makes it seem like all that exists are Jedi and Sith, so it'll be refreshing to have that truly rebel feel. I don't know how this darker tone will work out, but it appears to be in line with that of J.J. Abrams' grittier vision for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the seventh installment in the core Star Wars saga.
Star Wars: Rogue is set to begin shooting this summer in London. It's due for release in theaters on December 16, 2016, about a year after the theatrical release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens (December 18, 2015). Looking beyond Rogue One, there will Star Wars: Episode VIII on May 26, 2017.
