You wouldn’t think that a film due in theaters in December of 2016 (!!) would have ANY footage to show to fans. Which is exactly why the gathered masses at Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim were screaming their heads off at the first glance of footage for Gareth Edwards’ Star Wars: Rogue One, the first planned installment in the non-saga Star Wars Anthology Series that just began showing some of its official cards.
Gareth Edwards took the stage with Star Wars producer Kathleen Kennedy to tease Star Wars: Rogue One. He revealed the film’s official plot (which you can read about here), discussed where on the timeline the story takes place, and talked about how Felicity Jones fits in to the cast. Then, to everyone’s surprise, he showed footage.
Did you watch the clip above? Just in case it has disappeared, it begins with a narration by Sir Alec Guinness’ Obi-Wan Kenobi, who says, “For more than a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the old Republic. Before the dark times. Before the Empire.” As Obi-Wan is speaking, the camera is tracking over what looks like a jungle setting, soaring high above trees before tilting to look up into the sky. You can hear a TIE fighter passing overhead, and in the distance, the Death Star slowly comes in to focus. As the title treatment comes up, you can hear voices – assuredly of X-Wing pilots – barking orders over the radios. The screen cuts to black.
Here’s what the title treatment looks like:
It’s an incredibly short teaser that sets that stage for the first of what’s sure to be many new stories told in the Star Wars universe. Back when this project started to take shape, there was talk of comparisons between Star Wars: Rogue One and the video game Halo. To help further the comparison, Edwards showed a still image at Star Wars Celebration of what looks to be troops on the ground, and it definitely has that Halo atmosphere and tone to it.
We have a long way to go before this hits theaters in 2016. Still, this was a GREAT first step for Star Wars: Rogue One, and a killer end to an incredible weekend in Anaheim!
