AtStar WarsCelebration, the first plot details were revealed for the spinoff movieStar Wars Anthology: Rogue One, which, as previously rumored, will center on a Rebel Alliance mission to steal plans for the Death Star. Unfortunately, directorGareth Edwards, who attended the panel on Sunday morning, would not confirmrumors that Han Solo and Boba Fett will be a part of the story. Take a look at the first official, albeit brief, plot synopsis below.
“A band of resistance fighters unite for a daring mission to steal the Death Star plans in Star Wars anthology film, Rogue One.”
The official logo was also revealed for audience, which you can check out below, and appears to confirm that the official title is Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One. LucasFilm’s VP of developmentKiri Hart, who attended the panel along with producerKathleen KennedyandGareth Edwards, talked about why these spinoffs are now being called “anthology films.” Here’s what she had to say below.
“Star Warsas much as it is a set of characters… is a a place that we can explore in terms of character, in terms of time frame… We really wanted freedom to do some films that would stand on their own - they can vary in scale, they can vary in genre, they can introduce new characters and new places, and they can still beStar Wars.”
Gareth Edwardsalso confirmed that the spinoff will take place after the Jedi order was wiped out inStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, revealing that there will be no Jedi warriors in Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One. He also confirmed thatFelicity Jonesis playing a Rebel Alliance warrior in the film, with production slated to begin this summer in the U.K. Here’s what he had to say about the absence of the Jedi below.
“The absence of the Jedi is omnipresent. It’s about the fact that God’s not coming to save us… we have to do this ourselves. It comes down to a group of individuals that don’t have magic powers… that have to bring hope to the galaxy.”
The director also added that the original trilogy was very “black and white,” meaning it is easy to identify the heroes and villains. Rogue One, however, will focus on the “shades of grey” in this universe, with bad guys who can be good and good guys who can also be bad.Kathleen Kennedyadded that the idea for these anthology films came fromGeorge Lucashimself, with a story that originated from John Knoll, visual effects supervisor and chief creative officer at Industrial Light & Magic. Here’s whatKathleen Kennedyhad to say below.
“It was reallyGeorge’s idea, not only picking up the saga again - which he never envisioned he would do… he was really interested in exploring all the stories that might exist within the universe.”
Kathleen Kennedyadded that while she was worried about fielding numerous pitches, she couldn’t resist developing John Knoll’s story.
“There is no way I’m going to say no, this is a really, really cool idea… ‘Star Wars’ stories are not a dime a dozen - this is really hard to do and really hard to get right.”
John Knoll added that this story was actually set up by events in the previous movies.
“You can’t just do anything - it has to logically fit into that framework.”
Since the story also takes place during the same time frame of the TV seriesStar Wars Rebels, set betweenStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the SithandStar Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, there may be crossover opportunities for the spinoff and TV show, according toKathleen Kennedy.
“We can look for ways for them to talk to each other, but we don’t mandate that.Simon KinbergandDave Filonidid an amazing job on Rebels, and we are facilitating the development of Rogue One as well, so we’ll be seeing what happens there. We’re very much aware that things are happening on the same part of the timeline.”
In case you missed it earlier today, you can also check out the teaser trailer for Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One, along with the logo and concept art. Are you excited to learn Wars Anthology: Rogue One? Let us know what you think after checking out the trailer and images below.
