Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

[Deleted]

http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=43692

Big Star Wars news has arrived, and that news can be split into three parts:

1) The name of the first standalone Star Wars film, as directed by Godzilla and Monsters helmer Gareth Edwards, is Rogue One, and it's coming out on December 16, 2016.

2) Felicity Jones, as long expected, is the first confirmed cast member for the film.

3) Star Wars Episode VIII will come out on May 26, 2017. Rian Johnson, of Looper fame, will write the script as well as direct it. This newly-announced release date is 40 years and a day after Star Wars came out in 1977. This means there is just a year and a half after Episode VII, the shortest gap between two Star Wars movies.

The press release gives more details about Rogue One: "The idea for the story of Rogue One came from John Knoll, an Academy Award-winning visual effects supervisor and chief creative officer at Industrial Light & Magic. He will executive produce along with Simon Emanuel (The Dark Knight Rises, Fast & Furious 6) and Jason McGatlin (Tintin, War Of The Worlds). Kathleen Kennedy and Tony To (Band Of Brothers, The Pacific) are on board to produce and John Swartz (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) will co-produce. The film starts shooting this summer in London."

Rogue One, presumably, will have something to do with Rogue Squadron, and as such, will contain a lot of space acrobatics. If you're not totally in the loop about Rogue Squandron, Wookiepedia is at hand:

"Rogue Squadron, originally dubbed Rogue Flight, and also known as the Rogues, was an elite Rebel Alliance starfighter squadron founded by Commander Arhul Narra, Luke Skywalker, and Wedge Antilles shortly after the Battle of Yavin out of Red Squadron. Rogue Squadron played a key role during several engagements in the Galactic Civil War, serving as the primary defense squadron of the Alliance High Command."

John Knoll, in case you didn't know already, invented Photoshop with his brother Thomas, so when it comes to special effects and manipulating images, he takes some beating. There has been some speculation about this film being about bounty hunters stealing plans for the first death star, or that it might involve the Rebel Alliance in some way. It'll almost certainly be a prequel, judging from the title, and won't take place at the same time period as Episode VII and VIII. But then again, all bets are off...

 

[Seris Vant]

[member="Chris Gelderd"]

I bet 10 bucks you saw this on Reddit.

 

[Deleted]

[member="Seris Vant"]

Hand over the money. I saw it first via Empire Online's Twitter feed. And then it exploded everywhere else!

 

[Seris Vant]

[member="Chris Gelderd"]

Curse you Twitter!

As for the movie itself. Ehhhh.... to be seen. I'm not a fan of Rogue Squadron. Way to much plot armor on them. Hope it will be good though.

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

 

[Tefka]

bounty hunters stealing plans for the first death star

I'm cool with another superweapon in the works, but leave my death star alone.

 

[The End Narrator]

I liked Brian Tharen and Red Hand Squadron doing the whole stealing of the Death Star plans.

I am all for this new universe and time line but I think we discussed it yesterday....alternate universe and such. Not like my canon lol?

 

[Deleted]

[member="Akala"]

And what's betting it will lead into 'Episode VI' with those plans finding a certain cinnamon bun-haired Princess and two droids?

 

[Tefka]

[member="Akala"]

And what's betting it will lead into 'Episode VI' with those plans finding a certain cinnamon bun-haired Princess and two droids?

I really doubt this. I very much doubt they're going to touch the original canon of the movies.

I view the original cast joining Episode VII as a way of "passing the torch", and I'll bet good money anything that comes after will take place in Episode VII's generation - not prior. There's only one man who can mess with the canon like you're suggesting, and he's already done it once. I think that was enough for them.

 

[The End Narrator]

[member="Chris Gelderd"]

I think now it's all becoming confusing.

They need to slow the hype of "What we are going to fo because we killed the EU time line and made a new one!" And introduce things slower.

It's all becoming muddled.

Han solo stand alone that negates the books, Boba Fett stand alone that hopefully does tie in what they claim is canon in CW and such.

Meh it's all, alot to press the cash out button.

Nothing against what we love, just fact.

 

[Tefka]

Han solo stand alone that negates the books, Boba Fett stand alone that hopefully does tie in what they claim is canon in CW and such.

These are rumors, not fact.

Until we have a press docket confirming like this one for the Rogue One movie, just spin and grin your theories - but know that yours are just as good as any other's, including column journalists and bloggers who actually are cash cowing on the fan's appetite for more Star Wars.

 

[The End Narrator]

These are rumors, not fact.

Granted.

We really know nothing until official announcements come out.

I concede to that.

I have avoided the rumor mill as much as possible because well, beyond potential lens flare exposure...I wanna be excited about the alternate timeline.

 

[Deleted]

I think it's nice they seem to be giving the Rogues a shot at fandom rather than going down the obvious route of Yoda, Han or Boba that have been flying around.

Should be great to see more dog-fights and, hopefully, more NFUs leading the fray.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Alexandre Desplat set to score 'Rogue One. The 'Godzilla' composer has revealed that he will reteam with director Gareth Edwards for the sci-fi spin-off

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/mar/17/star-wars-rogue-one-alexandre-desplat-set-to-score

So will this mean, like the 'Clone Wars' series, we get hints of the Star Wars soundtracks but now have new main themes for these films as they are "spin-off" tales? Very interesting.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Updated news just in from SW Celebration:


At Star Wars Celebration Anaheim on Sunday, Lucasfilm brought the newest member of the directorial family, Gareth Edwards (Rogue One), to talk about joining the Star Wars universe. Josh Trank, scheduled to be on the panel, wasn't able to make it.

Pablo Hidalgo of the Story Group introduced Kathleen Kennedy and Kiri Hart, head of Story Group, who announced that the stand-alone films will be officially referred to as "Star Wars Anthology Films."

Gareth Edwards joined the panel after, the director of the first Anthology Film, Rogue One. He admitted to crying during the trailer reveal for The Force Awakens, and Hidalgo joked with him about fans in the arena seeing footage, despite the fact they don't film until this summer.

A teaser ran, December 2016. Obi-Wan Kenobi's voiceover, as portrayed by Sir Alec Guinnes, ran over the trailer. "For more than a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the old republic." A forested planet is seen, and a TIE fighter flies by, and in the background, the Death Star is there. Loud, scared chatter over a com, and the logo: Rogue One: Star Wars Anthology.

The first official summary of the movie was next. "A rogue band of resistance fighters unite for a mission to steal the Death Star plans and bring a new hope to the galaxy." Edwards confirmed that it takes place after Episode III, before Episode IV, and "closer to Episode IV."

The director went on to say that the film will not feature Jedi - their absence is part of the storytelling, and that the idea of a regular group of people without magical powers trying to better their world is what's interesting.

An image of several Rebel soldiers deboarding from transports onto a battlefield. Edwards confirmed that yes, Felicity Jones is a Rebel soldier. "When you meet real soldiers, they're real and normal people. We want to demonstrate fear and warmth and energy, and Felicity embodies all those things in her body of work."

Neil Scanlan is head of the creature team, Neil Lamont and Doug Chang are production designers, and Greig Fraser (Zero Dark Thirty) is the Director of Photography, he announced. The Special Effects head for Saving Private Ryan and Blackhawk Down is doing the effects for the film. "It is called Star WARS everyone."

More to come...

 

[Connor Harrison]

News today:

Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy confirmed back at San Diego Comic Con that filming for the first Star Wars Anthology film Rogue One would begin in a few weeks. Now, we can assume we're only days away from the beginning of principal photography on the film, and some new photos have emerged that may just confirm it. The good folks at Star Wars 7 News have pointed us to some pictures shared by Trevor Monk. He recently tweeted some photos of the "sheds", as they're called, at the former Royal Air Force base in Cardington, Bedfordshire in England. The massive hangers have a long history with Britain's infamous airships in the early 20th century.

Trevor Monk has posted many photos, and even video, of construction taking place at Shed 2, which he believes is for Rogue One. Check out some of them below and keep scrolling to read about the Sheds' history with the Star Wars saga and what iconic location they might be constructing.

It is a lesser know fact at least one scene from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope was filmed here. The wide shot of Han, Luke, Leia, Chewbacca and other standing in front of the Massassi Temple just after the arrive on Yavin IV was shot here, and later overlaid with matte paintings, as you can see from the photos below:

http://www.starwarsunderworld.com/2015/07/report-rogue-one-set-photos-revealed.html

 

[Kuryr]

I am excited for this film. The whole Idea of a commando raid in Star WArs is just next.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Could be some great spotlight shining on the NFUs of the SW galaxy being heroes!

 

[Kuryr]

Could be some great spotlight shining on the NFUs of the SW galaxy being heroes!

I totally agree, this could totally change the dynamic of the universe. right now the most well known NFU's are scoundrels, pilots or mandos. We could really use some awesome commando's and or soldiers to show up.

I am also just talking about the films and not any of the EU or Legacy or whatever they call it these days.

 

[Coren Starchaser]

Legends, [member="Kuryr"]
Campfire tales

That being said, I want this movie in my life.