We always knew there was a line-up of Star Wars films planned to supplement the main saga this time around, and now we have some official news on the first of those. Star Wars: Rogue One is due in theaters December 16th 2016 and will star Felicity Jones, with the script coming from Chris Weitz.
At the time of writing very little is confirmed about the plot, though the title invites much speculation. The official Lucasfilm press release states: “Rogue One is the title for the first film in a unique series of big-screen adventures that explores the characters and events beyond the core Star Wars saga. Rogue One will be directed by Gareth Edwards (Monsters, Godzilla) and written by Oscar nominee Chris Weitz (Cinderella, About a Boy, Antz). 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 and is due for release on December 16, 2016.”
