The first trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story ,the anthology spinoff about a group of Rebel fighters trying to steal the plans to the Death Star, is here.
The trailer, which was revealed on Good Morning America earlier today, opens with Felicity Jones’s Jyn Erso walking through what appears to be the Rebellion base. We learn she’s been on her own since the age of 15, and much like Rey from The Force Awakens, is perfectly capable of taking care of herself. In one scene toward the beginning of the trailer, she’s fighting a group of stormtroopers in an alley, going back and forth between hand-to-hand combat and using her blaster to take them out.
“This is a rebellion, isn’t it,” she asks while standing in the Rebel’s base. “I rebel.”
Based on the trailer, it looks like Jones and actor Diego Luna — whose character’s name is never revealed — will lead the dangerous mission to secure the plans to the Death Star ahead of the Galactic Empire’s ominous testing of a new devastating weapon.
There isn’t a lot of character identification happening in the trailer, but there are glimpses of each actor in their role. Forest Whitaker, Donnie Yen and Ben Mendelsohn all appear for a short period of time. It appears that Whitaker’s character — a veteran soldier of some sort — will be around to help Jones, as will Yen’s. Mendelsohn, on the other hand, appears to be playing a key figure in the Empire’s army.
The trailer also includes some fantastic combat shots, including a scene where the Rebel fighters are taking on a group of stormtroopers while Imperial Walkers fire round after round at them.
The film, directed by Gareth Edwards, is the first anthology standalone feature in the Star Wars franchise. It will be followed by Star Wars: Episode VIII in 2017 and then by the Han Solo spinoff film in 2018.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story hits theaters Dec. 16.
‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ Trailer: This is a rebellion…I rebel
Here’s the first trailer for the first Star Wars “spin-off” movie, Rogue One. It’s neat! Truthfully, I’m nowhere near as hype as I was for the Ep. 7 premiere, nor as hype as I will be for the debut of the Ep. 8 trailer. But it’s fucking Star Wars, and that’s enough to get me to a particular level of anticipation. The rest of the hype? Handled in this trailer by gorgeous goddamn shots, wonderfully chaotic combat, and that classic aesthetic. I’m pumped.