MOVIES: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story - News Roundup *Updated 2nd December 2016*

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Sneak Peek



29th November - New Featurette
Thanks to Ivan for the heads up.

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29th November - New Featurette
Thanks to Ivan for the heads up.

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New Featurette
Thanks to Ivan for the heads up.

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New International Trailer

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8th November 2016 - New Promotional Posters

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13th October - New Trailer

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11th October - New Promotional Poster

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5th October - Russian Promotional Poster

11th September 2016 - New Promo Art

12th August 2016 - New Trailer



2nd August 2016 - New TV Spot
Thanks to Ivan for the heads up.



7th April - Full Trailer

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  15th July 2016 - Poster + Celebration Reel
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  24th June - New Promotional Photos
  
  EW Promotional Photos
  
  http://images.spoilertv.com/movies/Star%20Wars%20-%20Rogue%20One/Promotional%20Photos/EW/
  
  Character Details
  One under each photo via the link.
  
  http://www.ew.com/gallery/star-wars-rogue-one-characters/2642938_k-2so-alan-tudyk?iid=sr-link3
  
  Forest Whitaker’s Character Revealed
  
  

  Meet the Rebel fighter who’s so extreme that the other good guys aren’t sure if he really is one.
  
  Forest Whitaker’s character has been one of the more closely held secrets of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, but Lucasfilm is ready now to make his identity official: this shadowy freedom-fighter is Saw Gerrera, a figure with a surprisingly deep background in galactic history.
  
  The warrior — seen in the Rogue One trailer asking, “If you continue to fight, what will you become?” — was actually first seen in season 5 of The Clone Wars animated series, when he was a young man on the planet Onderon, unleashing guerilla combat on the droid army of Separatists who took over his world.
  
  “Consider him kind of a battered veteran who leads a band of Rebel extremists,” Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy tells EW. “He’s on the fringe of the Rebel Alliance. Even [they] are a little concerned about him.”
  
  One reason we saved his reveal until now, in addition to him having a deeper backstory than the other new characters, is that Saw is an ally to the Rebel squad in Rogue One, but he’s not really one of them. “He’s off on his own,” Kennedy says.
  

  Source:

  Full Article on EW
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  22nd June 2016 - Darth Vadar Confirmed to Appear, New Details + EW Cover
  
  In this week’s issue of Entertainment Weekly, we bring you an inside look at Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which explores just how the Rebellion came to possess the information that revealed the fatal flaw in the Empire’s super weapon. It’s a battlefield heist that fans have been imagining for nearly 40 years, described in the opening crawl of 1977’s original Star Wars, with little details scattered throughout.
  
  The new film from director Gareth Edwards (2014’s Godzilla) will finally fit those peices together to form a full story – revealing never-before-seen characters while also reintroducing a few classic ones. We’re confirming a big one on our cover: the galactic man in black himself, Darth Vader.
  
  The background of our cover showcases new Imperial weaponry being used against the nascent Rebellion: taller, slimmer walkers known as AT-ACTs hauling cargo, and flatter, fang-like interceptors known as TIE Strikers.
  
  New information about Jyn Erso (The Theory of Everything’s Felicity Jones), the outlaw who has clashed with both the Rebellion and the Empire, and now has a chance to clear her ledger of past wrongs by leading a mission for the good guys. It’s also personal – her father, played by Mads Mikkelsen, is a scientist whose knowledge is sought by both sides.
  
  A look at the skullduggery inside the Imperial ranks, as seen through the eyes of a new villain: Ben Mendelsohn’s ambitious officer, who’s eager to earn the favor of the Emperor – and avoid the wrath of his black-masked enforcer.
  
  Finally, confirmation of what fans have hoped ever since the project was announced: Vader is back. We have a run-down of the Sith lord’s first day on set, and what his return means for the larger Star Wars storytelling universe.
  
  

  

  
  

  Source:

  Full Article on EW

  
  
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  3rd June 2016 - Disney Orders Extensive Reshoots
  
  Star Wars stand-alone movie Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will undergo several weeks’ worth of additional shooting, sources have confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter.
  
  Much of the cast and director Gareth Edwards will regroup in mid-June for another round of shooting. The move is happening after execs screened the film and felt it was tonally off with what a “classic” Star Wars movie should feel like. The pic has not yet been tested before audiences, but one source describes the cut as having the feel of a war movie.
  
  The goal of the reshoots will be to lighten the mood, bring some levity into the story and restore a sense of fun to the adventure.
  
  Rogue One focuses on the fabled mission hinted at in Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope, that of a group of rebels stealing the plans to the Death Star. The plans later end up in the hands of Princess Leia, who transfers them to R2-D2.
  
  “This is the closest thing to a prequel ever,” a source tells THR. “This takes place just before A New Hope and leads up to the 10 minutes before that classic film begins. You have to match the tone!”
  
  And while it’s not confirmed, some suggest that the new shooting could pave the way for an appearance from Han Solo as played by Alden Ehrenreich. The actor only recently nabbed the role of the spice smuggler and was not involved in Rogue One’s principal photography, which ran from last August to February.
  
  Disney reintroduced audiences to Star Wars with Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which garnered excellent reviews and grossed more than $2 billion worldwide, becoming the third-highest-grossing movie of all time. Sources say that while Edwards’ first cut was a solid showing, it didn’t measure up to the bar set in terms of four-quadrant appeal.
  
  “Anything less than extraordinary won’t do,” says a studio insider.
  
  

  Source:

  Hollywood Reporter

  
  

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  32 sets have been recreated for the reshoot.
  
  The crew expects they are reshooting 40% of the film.
  
  They are working 6 days a week for 8 weeks.
  
  

  Source:

  MakingStarWars.net

  
  
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  17th May 2016 - Character Descriptions + Visual Guide
  
  First off – here’s the roll call of those involved.
  
  Felicity Jones plays Jyn Erso, a gifted soldier and warrior.
  Diego Luna plays Captain Cassian Andor, an officer in the Rebel Alliance.
  Jiang Wen plays Baze, a freelance assassin.
  Alan Tudyk plays the CGI figure K-250, a Vollstreckerdroide (Executor droid) and evidently an imperial model, but teams up with the rebels.
  Riz Ahmed plays Bodhi, a rebel soldier.
  Pao, an alien who is described as “fierce warrior”.
  Donnie Yen plays Chirrut, a spiritual warrior.
  Bistan, another alien who is described as “fierce warrior”.
  Ben Mendelssohn as director Krennic, the military director of the Empire, to defend the Galactic Empire against the theft of Mission rebels.
  
  Keep in mind that this text may not be final, as are some of the images below, but the names and basics are likely to be real. Warriors and aliens seem to be the order of the day, but that some have their allegiance in the descriptions points to a gathering of Rebels and mercenaries; making this a Guardians of the Galaxy/Wild Bunch affair.
  
  

  

  
  

  Source:

  HeyUGuys
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  30th April 2016 - Mads Mikkelsen Teases Important Details About His 'Star Wars' Character
  
  Rogue One: A Star Wars Story might be more of a family saga than initially believed — if star Mads Mikkelsen isn't having fun at the expense of a fanbase eager to jump on any potential piece of information about the Star Wars spin-off.
  
  Talking to Sky News, the actor — who plays a mystery role in Gareth Edwards' movie, set prior to the very first Star Wars, and who was entirely absent from the first trailer for the movie — appeared to accidentally reveal that his character will have a close connection to Felicity Jones' lead character, Jyn Erso.
  
  "I read the script and it was very beautiful, and Felicity is playing this lovely, strong woman and I play her father," he said, before adding, "And that was too much. I'm sorry."
  
  Teased by the interviewer that he could also reveal whether speculation over a Darth Vader appearance in the movie was true or not, he smiled and said, "Yes I can, but I won't."
  
  Mikkelsen also talked briefly about Marvel's Doctor Strange, in which he also plays an unnamed character. "I believe I'm allowed to say that I play an opponent," he said. "Not really a baddie, but someone who believes in something else that Doctor Strange believes in."
  

  Source:

  The Hollywood Reporter

  
  
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  6th April 2016 - Teaser Trailer + Full Trailer Coming Tomorrow
  
  
  
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  28th January 2016 - Costumes Revealed
  
  Thanks to DarthLocke for the heads up and to https://twitter.com/DarrenArsenal1 for the images.
  
  

  
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  11th January 2016 - First BTS Photo of X-Wing
  
  
  
  You can see a couple more photos over at TMZ
  
  
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  7th January 2016 - Character and Plot Details Leaked - Rumour
  
  Thanks to Darthlock for the heads up.
  
  

  Mads Mikkelsen (Galen appears to be his name in the film) is kind of the key to the film in a way. He is a scientist that took over the Geonosian Death Star project. He solved several of the flaws the Empire could not and is sort of a revered person in the Empire for his contributions. However, Mikkelsen’s character is a Robert Oppenheimer-type character. Oppenheimer helped design the atomic bomb only to say, “Now, I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.” The guilt “Galen” feels for his contributions to the Empire become too much and he defects, attempting to make things right. In order to do this, he enlists the help of his only daughter….
  
  Felicity Jones’ character has to undo the devastation her family has unleashed onto the galaxy. Early versions of this character had her as a bounty hunter type of mercenary. But with the familial connections it appears as if this idea might not interface with the final stuff for the character so I’m hesitant to say she’s a bounty hunter/mercenary type in the final iterations of the film. I believe she is probably a scientist-type herself in character of the mission to get the plans, aided by bounty hunters, in this final iteration. (But I could be wrong about that part.)
  
  

  Source:

  MakingStarWars
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  30th November - Cast Head to Maldives for Filming
  
  Thanks to delta charlie for the heads up.
  
  

  Cast members of new Star Wars spinoff movie are headed to Maldives as English actress Felicity Jones arrived in the island nation Monday.
  
  The title of the film and the production company have been kept secret but Maldives tourism minister Moosa Zameer last week confirmed that a Hollywood movie was being filmed in Laamu Atoll.
  
  Haveeru has confirmed that Felicity Jones arrived in the Maldives Monday morning while another key cast member is expected to arrive Tuesday.
  
  Both actors along with Diego Luna, Ben Mendelssohn, Donnie Yen, Jiang Wen, Forest Whitaker, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk and Riz Ahmed had been cast in Star Wars spin-off Rogue One.
  
  A helicopter was brought in last week for filming which is expected to be used to shoot the scenic beauty of the high end tourist destination. The helicopter was taken to Laam Atoll Kadhdhoo, the tourism minister confirmed.
  
  According to Zameer, the scenes will be filmed in two islands in Laamu Atoll. One island is Baresdhu island, which has been designated by the government for its guest house island project.
  
  Over 200 locals have been deployed for the shooting, Haveeru has found.
  
  Lucasfilm confirmed the movie will tell the story of "resistance fighters who have united to steal plans to the dreaded Death Star."
  
  Due to be released in December 2016, Rogue One is one of three standalone spin-off Star Wars movies announced by Lucasfilm last year, in addition to the three major upcoming Star Wars episode films.
  
  Rogue One will go “into new territory, exploring the galactic struggle from a ground-war perspective while maintaining that essential Star Wars feel that fans have come to know”, according to Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy in a statement.
  
  She added the film will take place before the events of Star Wars: A New Hope and will be a “departure from the saga films but have elements that are familiar to the Star Wars universe”.
  
  

  Source:

  haveeru
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  20th November 2015 - Riz Amed's character name revealed
  
  Thanks to DarthLocke for the heads up.
  
  

  Rogue One actor Riz Ahmed will play Bohdi Rook in Disney and Lucasfilms' first Star Wars Anthology movie.
  
  This news comes by way of Ahmed's agency webpage, which outs the character's identity ahead of a formal announcement from the studio. Ahmed, who was seen last year in Nightcrawler, will also play a CIA tech specialist in Bourne 5.
  
  

  Source:

  IGN
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  26th August 2015 - Mads Mikkelsen Not A Villain
  
  Thanks to DarthLocke for the heads up
  
  Star Wars Rogue One: Mads Mikkelsen Not A Villain
  Note the Slashfilm Link gives various Star Wars tad bits, the interview with Mads Mikkelsen is on page 3. [LINK]
  
  And here is another Link for STAR WARS: The Force Awakens with JJ Abrams Exert From Upcoming EMPIRE Interview released earlier Today - Explains Kylo Ren is not a Sith [LINK]
  
  
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  25th August 2015 - Stormtrooper Helmets Revealed
  
  
  
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  24th August 2015 - Peter Cushing could be CGI-ed into Movie
  
  Thanks to Darthlock for the heads up.
  
  

  Peter Cushing will be brought back from the dead via CGI to play the iconic Star Wars villain Grand Moff Tarkin in upcoming spin-off Rogue One, according to the Mail on Sunday.
  
  Furthermore, the newspaper’s source suggests Gareth Edwards’ film, which is set prior to the events of 1977’s Star Wars, will show Tarkin’s role in the “creation” of Darth Vader.
  
  “This is one of the most complex and costly CGI re-creations ever,” the source said. “Cushing is a pivotal plot line as he was the one to create Darth Vader and there’s a whole back story that will come out.”
  
  One major issue with the CGI resurrection is that Cushing, who died in 1994, reportedly wore slippers on the set of George Lucas’ space saga opener because the poorly fitting leather riding boots originally allocated to Tarkin were so uncomfortable. The Englishman was therefore only shot from the ankles upwards, and no Star Wars footage exists of his feet.
  
  

  Source:

  theguardian

  
  
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  16th August 2015 - Principle Photography starts + First Cast Photo
  
  Lucasfilm announced today that their first film in the new standalone Star Wars stories series, Rogue One, has begun principal photography. Gareth Edwards (Godzilla, Monsters) is directing Rogue One, which tells the story of resistance fighters who have united to steal plans to the dreaded Death Star. The film is produced by Kathleen Kennedy and is slated for a December 16, 2016 release.
  
  The filmmakers have assembled a stellar cast, including Felicity Jones, nominated for an Academy Award for her leading role in The Theory of Everything; Diego Luna, who was featured in 2008’s Oscar-winning Milk and the critically acclaimed Killing Them Softly; Ben Mendelsohn, recently nominated for an Emmy for his leading role in Bloodline and co-starring in the upcoming Mississippi Grind; Donnie Yen, Hong Kong action star and martial artist who starred in Ip Man and Blade II; Jiang Wen, who co-wrote, produced , directed and starred in the award-winning Let the Bullets Fly and Devils on the Doorstep; Forest Whitaker, recently featured in the critically-acclaimed Lee Daniels’ The Butler and winner of an Academy Award for his leading role in 2006’s The Last King of Scotland; Mads Mikkelsen, who starred in The Hunt and was the memorable villain from 2006’s Casino Royale; Alan Tudyk, who plays a performance-capture character in Rogue One, stars in the soon-to-be-released Con Man series and Trumbo, which releases this November; and Riz Ahmed, who was recently featured in Nightcrawler and starred in the BAFTA-winning film Four Lions.
  
  “Rogue One takes place before the events of Star Wars: A New Hope and will be a departure from the saga films but have elements that are familiar to the Star Wars universe,” says Kathleen Kennedy. “It goes into new territory, exploring the galactic struggle from a ground-war perspective while maintaining that essential Star Wars feel that fans have come to know. Gareth is such an innovative director and I’m so excited to be working with him and the extraordinary ensemble cast he’s selected for ‘Rogue One.’”
  
  Lucasfilm announced today that their first film in the new standalone Star Wars stories series, Rogue One, has begun principal photography. Gareth Edwards (Godzilla, Monsters) is directing Rogue One, which tells the story of resistance fighters who have united to steal plans to the dreaded Death Star. The film is produced by Kathleen Kennedy and is slated for a December 16, 2016 release.
  
  
  
  New Logo
  
  
  
  

  Source:

  Star Wars
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  8th August 2015 - Set Photos
  
  
  
  You can see more photos here.
  
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  7th July 2015 - Darth Vader will appear [RUMOUR]
  
  Hopefully this weekend at Comic-Con we will get some more information about the film, but in the meantime I have a tiny tidbit to share. I ran into a good source this past weekend and, over drinks, was told a nugget that should make people pretty intrigued: Darth Vader will be in Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One. He will not be the main antagonist but he will be working behind the scenes, pulling strings and will appear onscreen. Literally, I'm told - he'll be showing up via viewscreen or holo projection or something. Will our heroes actually run into the Dark Lord of the Sith in person? My source wouldn't say. My source was also mum about Grand Moff Tarkin, who was of course the commander of the fully operational Death Star.
  
  

  Source:

  birthmoviesdeath
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  15th June 2015 - Forest Whitaker Joins Film
  
  Forest Whitaker is in negotiations to join the cast of Lucasfilm’s “Star Wars” anthology pic “Rogue One.”
  
  The film stars Felicity Jones, Riz Ahmed, Diego Luna and Ben Mendelsohn, with Gareth Edwards directing.
  
  Disney and Lucasfilm had no comment on the casting.
  
  

  Source:

  Variety
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  13th May 2015 - Diego Luna gets lead role
  
  Director Gareth Edwards has found another rebel fighter to battle the Empire in “Star Wars: Rogue One.” Sources tell Variety that Diego Luna is in talks for a lead role alongside Felicity Jones and Riz Ahmed, with Ben Mendelsohn set to star as the film’s primary villain.
  
  Disney and Lucasfilm had no comment on the casting.
  
  At a panel with Edwards and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy at the recent Star Wars Celebration convention in Anaheim, Edwards revealed that the plot of “Rogue One” revolves around the heist of the Death Star plans by a group of rebel fighters, with Jones starring as one of the rebel soldiers. Sources say Ahmed and Luna also play rebel fighters.
  
  

  Source:

  Variety
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  19th April 2015 - Teaser Trailer
  
  
  
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  19th April 2015 - Concept and Title Art
  
  
  
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  19th April 2015 - Plot Details
  
  The film concerns attempts by the Rebel Alliance to capture the plans to the Death Star – said plans were, of course, the plot motivator driving A New Hope. Rather than focus on the adventures of Jedi Knights, who are of course all but extinct after the events of Revenge of the Sith, it will instead be about ordinary men and women “that don’t have magic powers, that have to bring hope to the galaxy,” Edwards told the audience.
  
  

  Source:

  Deadline

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