Disney announced today the official title for the first Star Wars spin-off feature will be Rogue One with Gareth Edwards (Godzilla) directing, Chris Weitz (Cinderella) scripting and Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything) confirmed to star. The film will arrive almost a year to the date after this December’s Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens as it has been set for a December 16, 2016 release. Filming on Star Wars: Rogue One begins in London this summer.
There are no official plot details as of yet other than to say the film is just the first in a “unique series of big-screen adventures that explores the characters and events beyond the core Star Wars saga.” John Knoll, an Academy Award-winning visual effects supervisor and chief creative officer at Industrial Light & Magic, is credited with the story idea.
Rumor has it the story will center on a group of bounty hunters, hired to steal the plans for the Death Star, but that is simply rumor for now.
It was also confirmed Rian Johnson (Looper) will write and direct Star Wars: Episode VIII, set for release on May 26, 2017.
