The first trailer for Gareth Edwards' Rogue One: A Star Wars Story has landed online, and man oh man, does it look great. From the moment I heard that Edwards was going to direct a Star Wars film, it immediately became a more important film on my radar than any of the proper trilogy installments. For those who have seen Edwards' Godzilla, one of the most provocative blockbusters to be released over the last decade, you'll know that Edwards is obsessed with both moral and visual scale, and you can see that all over this trailer. That striking shot of the Death Star closing that hatch is a perfect example of how Edwards thinks about the tremendous size of these weapons, vehicles, and, indeed, the imaginative world of Star Wars on the whole.
It's also good to see a story that doesn't seem to have any major ties to the characters of the main series of films, at least not on the face of it. We meet Felicity Jones' Jinn (not sure about the spelling there) and she proudly states "I rebel," and not knowing anything about her lineage or where she comes from in the narrative lends her an immediate sense of mystery. The most seductive shot of the entire trailer, however, is that tracking shot in on Ben Mendelsohn's nefarious villain in his pristine white outfit, though it's fun to see a quick glimpse of Donnie Yen kicking some stormtrooper ass as well.
Beyond that, the scale of the AT-ATs looks spot-on and exhilaratingly active, and the trailer makes great use of what looks like several big chase scenes. And that shot with the cloaked figure walking into the room with the Red Guards standing on each side certainly made my eyebrows dart up. Diego Luna doesn't get a word in but he certainly has a bit of that Han Solo swagger going on in what we see of him, but aside from Jones, the actor that clearly steals the trailer is the great Forest Whitaker, who seems to be playing the film's philosophical and moral compass. When he says, "If you continue to fight, what will you become?" I got even bigger shivers than when Han told Chewie "We're home" in the first full The Force Awakens trailer.
There wasn't any obvious sign of Alan Tudyk, Mads Mikkelsen, or Riz Ahmed but there will be plenty more of these teasers and other trailer coming in before the film's release this winter. We'll have plenty of time to go frame-by-frame on this trailer to hash out every possible detail and suspicion as well but for now, I'm just sitting here impatiently, waiting for December to roll around.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is set to hit theaters on December 16th.
Watch the first trailer below (via GMA) and click here for a closer look with over 50 images from the trailer:
In addition to our Everything We Know about ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ piece, there’s quite a bit more quality behind-the-scenes talent as well:
-
Director of Photography Greig Fraser worked on Zero Dark Thirty
Image via Disney - VFX supervisor Neil Corbould worked on Black Hawk Down and Saving Private Ryan.
- Neil Lamont (Harry Potterseries) and Doug Chiang (Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace) are production designers.
- Oscar-winning composer Alexandre Desplat will bring his considerable skills to bear in crafting Rogue One’s score
- Stunt coordinator Rob Inch (World War Z, Marvel’s Captain America: The First Avenger)
- Creature effects supervisor Neal Scanlan (Prometheus)
- Co-costume designers Dave Crossman (costume supervisor for the Harry Potter series, Saving Private Ryan) and Glyn Dillon (costume concept artist for Kingsman: The Secret Service, Jupiter Ascending).
And for more of our recent coverage on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, take a look at the following links:
- Watch: ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ Teaser Preview Reveals a New Stormtrooper
- Collider Jedi Council: Andy Serkis Talks ‘Episode VIII’; Harrison Ford on Solo’s Fate
- Collider Jedi Council: ‘Rogue One’ Trailer Details Revealed?
- ‘Star Wars: Rogue One’: Christopher McQuarrie Brought In to “Save” Script
- ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ Might Have a Han Solo Cameo
