The first official photograph from the set of Star Wars: Rogue One has been released online, detailing the resistance fighters planning to steal blueprints for the first Death Star in Gareth Edwards’ space opera spin-off.
Disney confirmed reports that Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Forest Whitaker, Ben Mendelsohn and Riz Ahmed have joined the cast, while the film will also feature Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk, Donnie Yen and Jiang Wen. Tudyk, who played an intelligent machine in I, Robot, will once again take on an unspecified motion capture role.
In a statement, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said:
Rogue One takes place before the events of Star Wars: A New Hope and will be a departure from the saga films but have elements that are familiar to the Star Wars universe. It goes into new territory, exploring the galactic struggle from a ground-war perspective, while maintaining that essential Star Wars feel that fans have come to know. Gareth is such an innovative director, and I’m so excited to be working with him and the extraordinary ensemble cast he’s selected for Rogue One.
Disney also confirmed the long-rumoured Death Star storyline and revealed that spin-off films are now being referred to as Star Wars Stories movies, rather than by the previously announced Star Wars Anthology tag. Disney and Lucasfilm also have a film about the youthful travails of Han Solo in the works, while a third spin-off film is rumoured to focus on bounty hunter Boba Fett.
Star Wars Rogue One, which has just begun filming at Pinewood Studios, is due for release on 16 December 2016. JJ Abrams is directing the first in a new Star Wars trilogy, The Force Awakens, which hits cinemas on December 18 this year.
In other Star Wars news, there has been mixed reaction from fans to the news from its D23 fan event in Anaheim, California, this weekend that Jurassic World’s Colin Trevorrow will direct the final film in the new trilogy, currently titled only Star Wars: Episode IX. An Instagram post announcing the appointment was targeted with angry responses from audience members who did not enjoy the blockbuster latest movie in Steven Spielberg’s long-running dinosaur disaster saga.
“Don’t want to judge the guy off one flick, but Jurassic World was terrible,” wrote one fan. “It was an example of what not to do with a sequel in an established franchise … so that worries me. He doesn’t seem incompetent, but JW was bad.”
Another wrote: “Terrible choice. Jurassic world had terrible characterisation and excessive use of CGI. All things this new trilogy is proudly trying to rectify!” However, a third fan opined: “I am sure Colin is a great choice,” adding: “no director is going to approach Star Wars with a slack attitude.”
