But while Gareth Edwards’ new film isn’t actually a part of the three trilogies that make up the current entire existence of the “Star Wars” cinematic universe, it will fit into its timeline. READ MORE: . But despite all the possibilities and exceptions tied to being, well, “a Star Wars film,” the team behind the feature wants to make it clear how different this next offering is.
Watch the official second trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, in which Jyn Erso leads a group of unlikely heroes to steal the plans to the Death Star.
At this year’s Star Wars Celebration, the “Rogue One” team — including director Gareth Edwards, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and most of the film’s cast — hit the stage for their first official panel. Despite an audience that clearly revels in the world of “Star Wars” (this is, after all, an event dedicated to anything and everything from a galaxy far, far away), messaging about the film’s unique characteristics was hardly in limited supply. The panel even opened with a twist on the opening crawl from “A New Hope,” which played out on the big screen mostly as is, before being interrupted and disrupted by fresh text offering up a hint at the story we’re about to see. It’s “A New Hope,” but it’s not. Host Gwendoline Christie, who recently joined the franchise with her turn in “A Force Awakens” and seems nothing less than totally amped to be a part of the festivities, asked Kennedy a big question early on: What is a Star Wars Story? Lucasfilm 2. 01. 6“The thing is, we have this amazing opportunity to be able to tell stories inside this incredible universe,” Kennedy said. For her, Edwards’ style of often filming things himself, camera in hand, spoke to what she wanted the new film to look and feel like.“It is a style that is unlike any other .
Every day, just when you think you’ve had the craziest day in your life, the next day tops it.”The quest for something new also extends to the film’s characters, including Jyn Erso, who star Felicity Jones said is “not a character who is asking, . We know where she’s come from, and that fact is what propels the story and is the beginning of Jyn’s journey.”So, no, fans won’t have to spend hours trying to detail Jyn’s backstory or her family tree.
We’ll already know it (and we do already know that her father is played by Mads Mikkelsen, who was tight- lipped about letting slip more than that fact.)Also breaking with “Star Wars” tradition? Ben Mendelsohn as Director Orson Krennic, who Christie introduced as “a different kind of Imperial villain.”“Yes, he is,” Mendelsohn said.
We do villainy very well.”He added, laughing “He is smarter, I think, than most of his predecessors. He’s perhaps a little sexier than some of them. Not quite as sexy some of the others.”But of course the similarities are still there. Beyond the basics of good versus evil — Rebels versus the Empire — “Rogue One” will also offer up unlikely heroes of all stripes, including a wacky droid, K- 2. SO, voiced by Alan Tudyk and a pair of new characters who can’t help but believe in the power of The Force. Played by Donnie Yen and Wen Jiang, Chirrut and Baze are a set of best friends who still put their trust in The Force, even during a period of time when the populace is under the impression that anything and everything Jedi- related has been destroyed (sound familiar?).“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”And then there’s Forest Whitaker’s character, a George Lucas creation named Saw Gerrera who has already appeared in the animated series “The Clone Wars.” Whitaker got one of the biggest rounds of applause when he made his way on stage, with fans seemingly very happy to see someone they know on a stage populated by newcomers.
For the “Star Wars” world, even making something new is better when it features something known. The panel featured two new pieces of video — a sizzle reel that mostly functioned as a handy delivery service for both new material and talking head marketing centered on what sets this one apart — and at least offered up a different look and feel for the material. As advertised, Edwards’ “war movie” certainly seems like it’s hitting some new notes and embracing a different filming technique. As the first standalone “Star Wars” feature, expectations are certainly high, and “Rogue One” does seem like the right vessel for telling a new story with some familiar traits. But can this much- touted standalone film really make a mark based on its own merits?
Plot Summary: A rogue band of resistance fighters unite to steal the Death Star plans and bring new hope to the galaxy.
With the opening of “Rogue One” still half a year away, it remains to be seen if the film’s creators and talent have been able to temper both their excitement over the possibilities and respect for the franchise to make a film that truly is able to exist as its own entity. One that actually can stand alone.“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” will open on December 1. Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
In this installment of Rebels Recon, we take a look at the Star Wars Rebels episode 'Imperial Super Commandos,' in which Sabine, Fenn Rau, Ezra, and Chopper clash. Directed by Gareth Edwards, Rogue One aims to be the most epic adaptation of a sentence in history. I kid, I kid, but the film is set in the period immediately prior. Riz Ahmed, who will star in the upcoming “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” says the film is “edgier” than the previous films in the franchise. Get your first look at ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY in theaters this December. Visit Star Wars at http:// Subscribe to Star Wars on YouTube.
History isn’t always clear.”Ahmed will star as cargo pilot Bodhi Rook. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly last month, the 3. Bodhi as “a little intense, a little volatile,” but now, Ahmed adds that his character is one “who has to question his loyalties as the story progresses.”Also Read: 'The Night Of' Star Riz Ahmed Says There Were a 'Couple of Possible Endings'“Rogue One,” set before the events of the original “Star Wars” film, follows a ragtag band of outlaws who hatch a plan to steal the plans to the Death Star. The film’s protagonist will be Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), a galactic outlaw who has come up against both the Empire and the Rebellion. She is given a chance to clear her record if she assists in stealing the Death Star schematics. Also Read: Riz Ahmed on 'City of Tiny Lights': 'It's a Movie About Hurt, But Also Hope'“Rogue One” is directed by Gareth Edwards (“Godzilla”) and stars Jones, Donnie Yen, Mads Mikkelsen, Diego Luna and Forest Whitaker.“I don’t think it will disappoint,” Ahmed added.“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” flies into theaters on Dec. But we do know some details about them, through trailers and leaks and a big reveal over at Entertainment Weekly in July.
So here's a rundown of what we know so far. Felicity Jones plays the leading role, abrasive rebel Jyn Erso, who leads a Dirty Dozen- style team to pull a heist on the Death Star that Darth Vader built in the original . He's inserted into Erso's merry band of thieves as the steady counter to the volatile Erso. Luna you know from several prestige pictures, including . He plays Chirrut Imwe, a blind, Force- using monk - - but not a Jedi, though he walks a similar path.
He wields a staff rather than a lightsaber. This is the acclaimed Chinese writer/director/actor Wen Jiang, making his Western film debut as Baze Malbus, another member of Jyn Erso’s team. Baze is BFFs with Chirrut, though like Han Solo he's more about blasters, armor and explosives than hokey religions and ancient weapons.
Alan Tudyk is K- 2. S0, a security droid. Director Gareth Edwards told EW he's basically . Forest Whitaker is Saw Gerrera, a character we know well from the . Gerrera fought alongside Anakin Skywalker in that conflict back in the day, before he became Darth Vader. According to Whitaker, Saw and his team go to far more extreme lengths to stop the Empire than Jyn is willing to go. Ben Mendelsohn is the main villain in “Rogue One,” an Imperial called Director Orson Krennic.
He leads a squad of soldiers called Deathtroopers, and they're all about squashing Erso's rogue band before they get what they're after. Perhaps a little more inventive. Everybody puts up with his s- -- because he's that good. Ahmed you've seen before in . Galen is a scientist of much importance in the galaxy, and is being pursued by both the Rebellion and Empire for his knowledge.
And Jyn also because, you know, he's her father. Yes, that is Mon Mothma, the top dog of the Rebel Alliance. She’s played here by Genevieve O’Reilly, who also made an appearance in the role for “Revenge of the Sith” a decade ago. Who is this cloaked figure? We don’t know, but it’s probably someone important. And it’s a bad guy almost definitely. Darth Vader, probably not coincidentally, will appear in .
But we do know some details about them, through trailers and leaks and a big reveal over at Entertainment Weekly in July. So here's a rundown of what we know so far.