Disney has released a new Rogue One: A Star Wars Story trailer online. For those unfamiliar with Rogue One, the story takes place before the events of A New Hope and centers on a group of rebels who are sent to retrieve the plans for the Death Star. For those keeping track, this will be the fourth of eight Star Wars movies that deal with a Death Star in some way.
The movie has had its production troubles, but hopefully those haven’t stopped director Gareth Edwards from realizing an exciting vision that finally paints a Star Wars picture as a war film rather than space fantasy.
Unlike the trailers for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, they're not trying to hide the plot for this one. It clearly lays out that Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) has been recruited by the rebels because her father (Mads Mikkelsen) was kidnapped by the Empire to build the Death Star.
It's also surprising how drastically different this movie looks from previous Star Wars movies. While it's still very much in the Star Wars universe, the way it's presented is unlike anything we've seen from the previous seven movies, and I'm really hoping that Edwards' vision coheres into something special. Unlike Force Awakens, which played it safe, Rogue One has the opportunity to change our perception of what a Star Wars movie can be.
Check out the Rogue One: A Star Wars Story trailer below, and click here for 13 new images. The film opens December 16th and also stars Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Jiang Wen, Alan Tudyk, Riz Ahmed, and Forest Whitaker.
Here’s the official Rogue One synopsis:
From Lucasfilm comes the first of the Star Wars standalone films, “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” an all-new epic adventure. In a time of conflict, a group of unlikely heroes band together on a mission to steal the plans to the Death Star, the Empire’s ultimate weapon of destruction. This key event in the Star Wars timeline brings together ordinary people who choose to do extraordinary things, and in doing so, become part of something greater than themselves.
“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” is directed by Gareth Edwards and stars Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk, Riz Ahmed, with Jiang Wen and Forest Whitaker. Kathleen Kennedy, Allison Shearmur and Simon Emanuel are producing, with John Knoll and Jason McGatlin serving as executive producers. “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” opens in U.S. theaters on December 16, 2016.
For more on Rogue One, click on the links below:
- ‘Rogue One’ Actor Valene Kane Confirmed as Playing Jyn Erso’s Mother
- Disney CEO Not Expecting ‘Rogue One’ to Be as Big a Hit as ‘The Force Awakens’
- ‘Rogue One’ International Posters Assemble the Rebels
- Michael Giacchino Steps in to Score ‘Rogue One’ After Reshoots
- ‘Rogue One’ LEGO Sets Revealed; Includes U-Wing, TIE Striker, AT-ST Walker, and More