It’s been less than a month since the release of the last Star Wars film but the internet is already frantically digging for info on the next installment, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
The title for the first film in the Star Wars anthology series was announced in March 2015, along with news that Felicity Jones was the first to be cast, and the anticipated release date is December 16, 2016.
However, since teasing us with the title we’ve actually learnt very little about the actual film other than a few rumours here and there.
However the good people over at Business Insider have had their Bothan spies working to gather what little we do know, and they’ve compiled a pretty comprehensive list of what we know about the movie, as well as a few of the more popular rumours to tide us over until the Disney bosses release the first trailer.
Here is everything we know so far about Rogue One:
The film is the first in the Star Wars Anthology, a series of standalone films, which will include movies dedicated to Han Solo and bounty hunter Boba Fett.
Gareth Edwards, best known for the terribly underrated Godzilla (2014) reboot, will direct the film.
The script was written by Chris Weitz, who wrote the delightfully charming About a Boy, and is based on an idea from visual-effects supervisor John Knoll. Gary Whitta, the writer of the dreadful After Earth, was originally hired to write the screenplay, but thankfully left the project after writing the first draft.
The film is a prequel and will take place before the events of 1977’s A New Hope, and focus on a group of resistance fighters who are attempting to steal the plans for the Empire’s newest weapon, the Death Star.
Gareth Edwards confirmed that it’ll be a ‘war movie’ and Jedi will be absent from the film, which makes sense as the Jedi were basically extinct at that point.
Edwards said: “The absence of the Jedi hangs over the movie. So don’t expect any Jedi lessons like Yoda taught Luke.”
The idea for the films came from a line in the opening crawl of Star Wars: A New Hope which reads: “During the battle, rebel spies managed to steal secret plans to the Empire’s ultimate weapon, the Death Star…”
The wonderful Felicity Jones will be playing a rebel soldier and was the first person cast in the film. The rest of the cast was announced during Disney’s D23 expo and includes Riz Ahmed, Diego Luna, Jiang Wen, Ben Mendelsohn, Forest Whitaker, Mads Mikkelsen, Donnie Yen, and Alan Tudyk.
The film was primarily shot at Pinewood Studios in Britain like The Force Awakens.
TMZ leaked photos of what appears to be a classic X-wing on the set of Rogue One, similar to the fighter Luke Skywalker flies in the original trilogy, which also happens to be used to destroy the Death Star.
RUMOUR: One theory says the young Han Solo will make a cameo in the movie. Han’s getting his own anthology episode next year so this does make sense.
RUMOUR: Diego Luna will play Biggs Darklighter, Luke Skywalker’s childhood friend who perished during the Battle of Yavin in A New Hope.
RUMOUR: We may be seeing some classic Star Wars Villains, with Darth Vader, Boba Fett, and Grand Moff Tarkin rumoured to appear in the movie.
RUMOUR: Take this one with a pinch of salt but some folks have speculated that Felicity Jones’ character may be the daughter of infamous bounty hunter Boba Fett.
All in all, pretty exciting stuff!
More of a concept than a journalist, Tom Percival was forged in the bowels of Salford University from which he emerged grasping a Masters in journalism.
Since then his rise has been described by himself as ‘meteoric’ rising to the esteemed rank of Social Editor at UNILAD as well as working at the BBC, Manchester Evening News, and ITV.
He credits his success to three core techniques, name repetition, personality mirroring, and never breaking off a handshake.